Cats Forecast: A Battle with the Bolts; Colorado Comes to Town

The Panthers couldn't have asked for a better start.
Putting their best paw forward, they opened up their 2021-22 season with a pair of wins over the Penguins and Islanders on home ice last week. After coming from behind to top Pittsburgh by a score of 5-4 in overtime, they followed that up by cruising to a dominant 5-1 win over New York.
More motivated than ever on Monday, Anthony Duclair feels the Cats are just getting started.

"We talked about getting off to a good start, and that's what we did," the Panthers speedy forward said. "It's going to be crucial to carry that momentum into the next few games here."
Looking to keep the good times rolling, the Panthers will kick off a three-game week with a trip to Tampa to battle the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Lightning on Tuesday. After that, they'll return home to host the Avalanche on Thursday and then visit Philadelphia on Saturday.
While all three of those games will only count as two points, the Panthers will likely come out with a little bit more of an edge against the Lightning, who eliminated them in six games in last year's playoffs, a series that both fans and pundits talked about throughout the entire summer.
And if the preseason was any indication, there's still plenty of bad blood between the two rivals.
"You know it's going to be a tough one," Duclair said. "We know the rivalry with them. We saw it in the preseason, but now it's the real deal. We play four times against them this season, and it's going to be a battle each game. It's going to be a good test for us, and we're ready to go."
From those three games to a cool contest, here's everything you need to know this week.

THE GAMES

Tuesday: at Tampa Bay Lightning, 7:00 p.m.
In a rematch from last season's playoffs, the Panthers will travel across the state to battle the rival Lightning (2-1-0) at Amalie Arena on Tuesday. After falling to the Penguins in their season-opener, the defending Stanley Cup champions closed out last week with a pair of overtime victories over the Red Wings and Capitals. Leading the way against Washington on Saturday, Steven Stamkos scored the game-winning goal in overtime, while Andrei Vasilevskiy made 32 saves to earn first-star honors. In the game, Tampa Bay also lost former Hart Trophy winner Nikia Kucherov to an injury. As of Monday, his status remains up in the air. Through three games, Stamkos paces the team in both goals (3) and points (7), with Victor Hedman racking up the most assists (5). Last season, the Panthers posted a 5-2-1 record against the Lightning before being eliminated in six games during the postseason. Looking for some revenge this time around, Aleksander Barkov should make some noise in this contest. Tied for the team-scoring lead with three points (one goal, two assists), Florida's captain has produced at nearly a point-per-game clip against Tampa Bay in his career, registering 28 points (five goals, 23 assists) in 34 head-to-head matchups to date.
TV:Bally Sports Florida, ESPN+ (Out of Region)
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); SiriusXM App & Streaming 932
Thursday: Colorado Avalanche, 7:00 p.m.
A popular preseason pick to win the Western Conference, the Avalanche (1-1-0) will make its only visit of the season to FLA Live Arena on Thursday. After opening up the season with a win over the Blackhawks, Colorado closed out last week with a 5-3 loss to the Blues. In that defeat, J.T. Compher, Tyson Jost and Andre Burakovsky all lit the lamp, while Darcy Kuemper allowed four goals on 27 shots. Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog missed the game while serving a two-game suspension for an infraction in the season-opener, while Nathan MacKinnon, a finalist for the Hart Trophy and the team's leading scorer in 2020-21, has yet to play this season due to COVID-19 protocols. Nazem Kadri stands as the team's early-season scoring leader with four points (one goal, three assists). Behind him, five different players have tallied two points. For the Panthers, whose fans still haven't forgotten the team's loss to Colorado in the 1996 Stanley Cup Final, keep an eye on Carter Verhaeghe in this matchup. Breaking out with a career-high 36 points (18 goals, 18 assists) last season, the top-line winger has produced three points (two goals, one assist) through the first two games of the season, including scoring the game-winning goal in overtime on Opening Night.
TV:Bally Sports Florida, ESPN+ (Out of Region)
Radio:560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 850 WFTL (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); SiriusXM Channel 222 / App & Streaming 932
Tickets:
HERE
Saturday: at Philadelphia Flyers, 7:00 p.m.
Wrapping up the week, the Panthers will hit the road to face the Flyers (0-0-1) at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday. Off to a slow start in the scheduling department, Philadelphia played just one game last week, falling to the Canucks by a score of 5-4 in a shootout on Friday. Joel Farabee recorded a goal and an assist in the loss, while Sean Couturier and Ryan Ellis each chipped in two assists. Between the pipes, Carter Hart surrendered four goals on 39 shots in regulation and overtime before getting beat twice in the skills competition. After finishing last in the league with 3.52 goals allowed per contest last season, it certainly wasn't the encouraging start the Flyers had hoped for. Looking to keep piling up goals against Philadelphia, watch for Anthony Duclair to find the back of the net in this game. Showing off his all-world wheels in the early goings of this season, the dynamic speedster has recorded a goal in each of his first two games, with both goals being the result of a hard drive straight towards the net. In 13 career games against the Flyers, Duclair has accumulated seven points, including scoring four goals.
TV: Bally Sports Florida, ESPN+ (Out of Region)
Radio: 99.9 WKIS-HD2 (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); SiriusXM App & Streaming 932

MILESTONE WATCH

• Brandon Montour is five games away from his 300th game.
  - Sam Reinhart is five points away from his 300th point.
  - Carter Verhaeghe is three games away from his 100th game.
  - Sergei Bobrovsky is one win away from his 300th win.
  - Anthony Duclair is two games away from his 400th game and four points away from his 200th point.
  - Sitting on 1,529 points, Joe Thornton needs just three more points to surpass Paul Coffey for 13th place on the NHL's all-time scoring list.

WATCH PARTY AT FUNKY

When the Cats are away, the fans will still play!
For the first official watch party of the season, join Stanley C. Panther and others at Funky Buddha Brewery in Oakland Park on Tuesday to watch the Panthers take on the Lightning.
In addition to being able to watch the game with fellow fans in a fun environment, there will be plenty of giveaways, Oktoberfest-themed food and beer specials to enjoy throughout the night.
As an added bonus, Territory Members will enjoy a 15% discount at the event.

LUCKY FAN CONTEST

Like the Panthers, fans can also win big at FLA Live Arena.
At every single home game throughout the 2021-22 season, Seminole Casino Coconut Creek is giving away a $200 gift card to their award-winning NYY Steak restaurant to one very lucky fan.
Surf, turf and spirits? There's nothing better!
To enter the contest, click HERE.

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Think you're an expert when it comes to the Panthers?
Prove it!
Right now, fans can head over to the Baptist Health Virtual Vault to test their knowledge of all things Panthers for a chance to win an autographed puck from captain Aleksander Barkov.
To take the quiz, click HERE.

PROSPECT SPOTLIGHT

Logan Hutsko is off to a hot start in the AHL.
After notching a pair of primary assists during his professional debut on Saturday, the 22-year-old forward added another helper in Charlotte's 4-1 win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Sunday.

Heading into his first season in the AHL with a head full of steam, Hutsko recorded a team-leading five points (three goals, two assists) during the Prospect Showcase Tournament that preceded Florida's training camp, and then went on to score another goal in the preseason.
Taken by the Panthers in the third round (89th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft, Hutsko amassed 101 points (41 goals, 60 assists) over 114 career games with Boston College before turning pro.

CATS CLIP OF THE WEEK

Thanks to Sam Bennett, both rats and hats were flying in Sunrise on Saturday.

CATS IN THE COMMUNITY

TERRITORY TALK

Helping set the stage for the 2021-22 season, Panthers general manager Bill Zito joined last week's episode of the Territory Talk podcast.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

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Plagens' Panthers Mailbag: Recapping 2021-22 Opening Night 
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5 TAKEAWAYS: Ekblad, Verhaeghe Score Twice as Panthers Top Penguins
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Behind the Rhymes: It's Time to Hunt 
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Sasha Signs: Panthers Lock Up 'Cornerstone' Player in Barkov 
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Around the NHL: 2021-22 Season Preview with ESPN's Linda Cohn