Cats & Coffee: A Long Road Trip Starts in New York

Good morning and welcome to "Cats & Coffee," a weekly segment, presented by Koffee Kult, in which we serve up an exciting look at what's on deck for your Florida Panthers. Like our friends at Koffee Kult, this forecast serves up only the best -- so sit back, sip and enjoy our latest brew of news, notes and information!
The Florida Panthers will embark on a five-game road trip this week that will start on Tuesday in New York and end 10 days later with back-to-back games against the Winnipeg Jets at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland on Nov. 1 and 2 as part of the 2018 NHL Global Series.

"I was dreaming, but not never thought it would it be possible to play in Finland with my own NHL team," Panthers captain and Finnish native Aleksander Barkov said when the trip to his home country was first announced. "I don't know what to say about that. I'm just pretty excited."
Florida (1-2-3) is currently in the midst of a three-game point streak, but once again saw a lead slip through their fingers during a disappointing second period in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings. The Panthers have now allowed 14 goals to be scored in the middle frame so far this season, while surrendering just eight during the first and second periods combined.
"I think it's been our second periods in almost every game," Panthers winger Mike Hoffman said after the loss. "We come out strong, come away with a lead, but we seem to let it slip a little bit in the second period. We can have our foot on the gas, but maybe we're just letting up a little bit too much in the second. The other team's making their push that they need to. We just haven't been able to manage it so far."
Still, with 76 games left to play, the Panthers have plenty of time to figure things out. And with two weeks away from home on the docket, players believe that this trip offers a chance to come together and clean up the little details that have been holding back their clearly talented group.
"We've got to use that to our advantage and really come together here," Panthers forward Nick Bjugstad said of the trip. "It's early, and we have high expectations. We've got some things to sort out."
Here's everything you need to know for the week ahead…

THE GAMES

Tuesday: at New York Rangers, 7:00 p.m.
The Panthers will kick off their trip with a matchup against the Rangers (2-5-1) on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. New York has lost three of its last four games -- including a 4-1 loss to Calgary on Sunday - and enters the week owning the league's 27th ranked offense, which is averaging just 2.25 goals per game. Still, as long as Henrik Lundqvist is back in net, it's never an easy trip to the Big Apple. Starting all but one of New York's games so far this season, the 36-year-old boasts a 2.55 goals-against average and a .921 sav percentage. That said, he should have his hands full with Florida's offensive juggernauts like Vincent Trocheck, who is tied for the team scoring lead with seven points (two goals, five assists) in six games. Last year, the Panthers got a point in all three of their meetings with the Rangers, boasting a 2-0-1 record.
TV: FSF
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 1370 WAXE (Treasure Coast)
Wednesday: at New York Islanders 7:00 p.m.
The Panthers will cap off their second back-to-back set in less than week when they visit the Islanders (3-4-0) on Wednesday at the Barclays Center. New York has lost three of its last four games, but has fared better than many pundits expected after the offseason departure of John Tavares. Led by a resurgent start from goaltender Robin Lehner, the Isles currently possess the league's 12th-ranked defense, surrendering 2.86 goals per game on average. Lehner, who spent the previous three seasons in Buffalo, has gone 2-2-0 with a 2.59 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage - the ninth-best in the league among goalies with at least four starts. But he will likely be under duress all night against Florida, which averages the ninth-most shots in the league per game (33.8). The Panthers went 2-0-1 against New York last season.
TV:FSF
Radio:560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 1370 WAXE (Treasure Coast)
Saturday: at New Jersey Devils, 1:00 p.m.
Who's ready for some afternoon hockey? The Panthers will enjoy their first matinee matchup of the season when they visit the Devils (4-2-0) on Saturday at the Prudential Center. New Jersey has lost each of its last two games after starting the season on a four-game winning streak. The Devils are fueled by some very fantastic goaltending from Keith Kinkaid, who has started all of their games thus far, going 4-2-0 with a 1.85 goals-against average, .929 save percentage and a league-leading two shutouts. But those great numbers will be put to the test against Panthers forwards like Evgenii Dadonov, who leads the team in goals (3) and is tied for the lead in points (7), power-play goals (1) and power-play points (2). Florida went 2-1-0 against New Jersey last season, finishing one point behind the Devils for a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
TV: FSF
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 1370 WAXE (Treasure Coast)

MILESTONE WATCH

• Nick Bjugstad is two assists away from his 100th NHL assist.
  - Jonathan Huberdeau is three goals away from his 100th NHL goal.
  - Evgenii Dadonov is eight points away from his 100th NHL point.

CATS CLIP OF THE WEEK

We're only a few games into the season, but Aleksander Barkov is already up to his old tricks in the shootout.

CATS IN THE COMMUNITY

COLD COFFEE (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

--
Nick Bjugstad shares his love of Rocket Power and Zubaz pants in our first installment of the brand new "Back in the '90s" series.
-- Are you happy or not at BB&T Center?
That's what the Panthers want to find out!
-- Are you a fan of candy?
Check out the new "Sweet Zone" at BB&T Center.
-- Miss anything from Florida's first win of the season last week?
You can find all of the notes and highlights in "5 Takeaways."
--
Hockey N' Heels is coming back to BB&T Center.
-- In the latest installment of the Territory Talk podcast, Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov sat down with Doug and Jameson to discuss his expectations for his homecoming in Finland.