Cats & Coffee: Colorado Comes to Town

Good morning and welcome to "Cats & Coffee," a weekly segment, presented byKoffee 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 be bouncing around quite a bit this week.
After wrapping up their three-game road trip on Monday afternoon against the Devils in New Jersey, the team will return home to host the Colorado Avalanche on Friday. Right after that, they'll fly out again to wrap up a back-to-back against the Predators in Nashville on Saturday.
The goal for the week? Keep picking up points.
The Panthers (1-2-2) enter the week looking to extend their point streak to three games after a pair of shootout losses in Buffalo and New York on Friday and Saturday, respectively. In both of those games, some heroics were required in the waning minutes of regulation to lock in a point.
Against the Sabres, it was Mike Hoffman scoring with just over 10 seconds left on the clock to get the game to overtime. Evgenii Dadonov, meanwhile, played the role of "Mr. Clutch" against the Islanders, scoring for the third consecutive game to get things even early in the third period.
Both of those comebacks came as the result of strong late-game pushes. Over their last two third periods, Florida has outshot (33-9) and outscored (3-1) the opposition by solid margins.
In looking at those numbers, Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov sees a lot of promise.
"We've got to learn to play the way he played in the third period," Barkov told reporters after Saturday's loss on Long Island. "How we battled back, that needs to be our 60-minute game."
What's it going to take to turn these strong finishes into full 60-minute efforts?
Panthers coach Joel Quenneville thinks it'll start with players simplifying their game.
"When I say simpler it means move the puck ahead, keep it, support it and put it in good areas," said Quenneville, who is in his first season with Florida. "That's going to make it a lot easier."
Here's everything you need to know for the week ahead…

THE GAMES

Monday: at New Jersey Devils, 1:00 p.m.
The Panthers will look to push their point streak to three games when they wrap up their three-game road trip against the Devils (0-3-2) at Prudential Center on Monday afternoon. The only team in the Eastern Conference without a win entering this week, New Jersey has struggled to score goals to start the season. Tied for second-to-last in the league with nine goals, the Devils have been shut out in two of their last three games, including a 3-0 loss in Boston on Saturday. A big reason for their slow start on offense has been a lack of production on the power play, as they've gone 0-for-15 with the extra attacker to start the season. At the other end of the ice, they also rank last in the league in penalty killing with a 50 percent success rate. For the Panthers, keep an eye on Evgenii Dadonov to jump start the scoring in this game, as the 30-year-old winger is currently riding a three-game point and goal streak. In his career against New Jersey, he's notched one goal and six assists in nine games.
TV: FSF
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys)
Friday: Colorado Avalanche, 7:00 p.m.
The Panthers will make a quick one-game pit stop at home to host the Avalanche (4-0-0) -- their first Western Conference opponent of the season -- at BB&T Center on Friday. One of only two unbeaten teams left standing in the league entering this week, Colorado has been producing at a high rate on offense consistently through four games, scoring at least three goals in each of those contests. Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen are currently tied atop the team's scoring list with six points apiece, while Cale Makar, who has notched five assists, recently made headlines for being the first rookie defenseman in franchise history to register at least one point in each of his first four games. Looking to keep the Avalanche off the scoresheet for the Panthers will likely be Sergei Bobrovsky. Owning a 1-2-1 record over four starts this season, the 31-year-old goaltender has been very good in his career against Colorado, going 7-2-1 with a .913 save percentage. A two-time Vezina Trophy winner, he looked very sharp during his last start, stopping 30 of 32 shots in a 3-2 shootout loss in Buffalo on Oct. 11.
TV: FSF
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 850 WFTL (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 1370 WAXE (Treasure Coast) In-
Arena Activations:
50/50 Raffle
; Foundation Auction Outside Club Lexus; Foundation Post-Game Trick-or-Treating On the Ice for a $3 Donation
Tickets:
HERE
Saturday: at Nashville Predators, 8:00 p.m.
The Panthers will close out the week with a trip to Smashville for a matchup with the Predators (3-2-0) at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday. Nashville enters the week on the heels of a 7-3 loss in Los Angeles on Saturday. Despite erasing a three-goal deficit to tie the game, the Predators surrendered three unanswered goals in the third period to end up in the loss column for just the second time this season. Nashville has been one the highest-scoring teams in the league so far this season, with their 23 goals ranking them behind only Pittsburgh, Toronto and Vegas. Matt Duchene, who joined the team on a seven-year deal this summer, has gotten off to a hot start with his new club. In five games, the 28-year-old center has posted a team-leading nine points (two goals, seven assists), while also winning 41 faceoffs. For the Panthers, look for Vincent Trocheck to slow Duchene's game down a bit in this one. In addition to his three points (one goal, two assists), the 26-year-old center also currently ranks tied for fourth in the league with eight takeaways.
TV: FSF
Radio: 790 WAXY (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 1370 WAXE (Treasure Coast)

MILESTONE WATCH

• Keith Yandle is five goals away from his 100th NHL goal.
  - Anton Stralman is four assists away from his 200th NHL assist.
  - Aaron Ekblad is four games away from his 400th NHL game.
  - Joel Quenneville is nine wins away from his 900th win as a head coach in the NHL.

TRICK, TREAT, SUITE

The only thing sweeter than a night in a suite might be a bag full of candy.
So, of course, the Panthers and ITSUGAR are teaming up to give you both.
In the latest "Suitestakes Contest," fans can enter to win a prize package centered around five suite tickets to Florida's matchup against Colorado on Friday, Oct. 18. In addition to the seats, winners will also receive five boxes of "Huby Snacks" and five post-game trick-or-treat passes.

To enter for a chance to win, please click
HERE
.

THE ULTIMATE VALUE

The "Sahlen's Red Hot Value Pack" is back!
With select games available throughout the season, fans are able to purchase the pack starting at a minimum of four tickets. With each ticket comes with a Sahlen's hot dog, soda, popcorn and parking.
The hot dog, of course, comes from our friends over at Sahlen's.
To learn more about the value pack see what games are available, click
HERE
.

CATS CLIP OF THE WEEK

What's better than a game-tying goal in the final seconds of regulation?
Take a moment to re-watch Mike Hoffman's buzzer beater in Buffalo last week.

CATS IN THE COMMUNITY

Tweet from @StanleyCPanther: Cats always land on their feet! Thanks for having me out @overtheedge to support @GildasClubSFL last week. #TBT @FlaPanthers pic.twitter.com/CkSXK2xj5h

TERRITORY TALK

MacKenzie Weegar joined last week's episode of Territory Talk to discuss his road to becoming an NHL regular, what it's like playing for Joel Quenneville, his favorite hockey lingo and more!

COLD COFFEE (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

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If you're a student in South Florida, "The Library" is the place to be at BB&T Center.
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Noel Acciari answered a ton of Q's in the first "Panthers Mailbag" of the season.
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"Flex Plans" make it easy to fix a night at the rink into even the busiest of schedules.
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You're not going to want to miss "Ice & Dice" on Nov. 4!
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Mike Hoffman is off to another hot start with the Panthers.
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Make sure to try "Gloves Off Red IPA, Round 2" at the Funky Buddha Brewery Tap Room.
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Get a closer look at how Coach Q does business in a new episode of "Inside the Panthers."
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Have you visited the Panthers Virtual Vault yet?