CBS Miami's Steve Goldstein: On the road in Western Canada with the Cats
MIAMI - After stops in Columbus and Seattle, the Panthers are now in Vancouver as their 5 game road trip rolls on. They split the first two games, and things get cranked up against perhaps the two hottest teams in the league. Then, the finale next week features Matthew Tkachuk going back to Calgary in a matchup with former Panther Jonathan Huberdeau.
Cats & Canucks
This is a great Wednesday night game. Vancouver has been a remarkable turnaround story and is one of the top handful of teams in the league. The Panthers will need Sergei Bobrovsky on top of his game and be tight defensively in order to win. The game features the best handful of even-strength players in the NHL, led by Aleksander Barkov and Vancouver's star defenseman Quinn Hughes.
Get the O going
The defense has to be aware of the high end talent, but the Panthers also need to get to the net and make life difficult for the opposing goalie, something they struggled to do in the loss in Seattle.
Saturday with Connor
After Vancouver, it's a meeting with Edmonton and superstar Connor McDavid. They have been on a roll, winning eight in a row. McDavid is on one of his typical heaters (hockey term!), averaging 2 and a half points per game during the streak.
The Trade Revisited
The long trip wraps up Monday in Calgary, where Flames fans will get their chance to boo Tkachuk (he will hear it Saturday too in Edmonton, left over from the Oilers-Flames rivalry). The Panthers will reunite with Jonathan Huberdeau, who continues to have his struggles with his new team.
Win the Trip
The Panthers must get some big individual efforts to have a winning road trip. The loss in Seattle hurts, as it would put the Cats 2-0 on the trip and in good shape. But this team is resilient as we have learned many times. They are 8-2 this season following a loss.
Honoring Lu
Former Canucks and Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo will be inducted into the Ring of Honor before faceoff in Vancouver. It is a well-deserved honor as Luongo helped spearhead the best teams in Canucks franchise's history. They came up just short of a Stanley Cup in 2011, losing game 7 to Boston in the final. Luongo continues his work in the Panthers front office, with his eye on becoming an NHL general manager down the road.
West Coast Sights
There's some beautiful scenery in cities like Seattle and more so Vancouver. If the opportunity arises to take a trip, the cities and hockey arenas are well worth it. Especially if you like coffee!