Panthers Put Eight Past Avalanche, Extend Winning-Streak to Seven

Scoring wasn’t an issue Saturday afternoon in Denver. The Florida Panthers and Colorado Avalanche exchanged 12 goals in a wild back in forth game. 

The Panthers would come out on top, defeating the Avalanche 8-4 as they extend their season best winning-streak to seven — improving to 25-12-2 on the year.

Carter Verhaeghe opened the scoring just 70 seconds into the game with his 21st goal of the season. 

Sam Reinhart would follow up Verhaeghe with two goals himself for his 26th and 27th of the season. 

Florida took a 3-0 lead less than eight minutes into Saturday’s contest. The score would hold through the period. 

After a disappointing opening frame for the Avalanche, they came bursting out of the gates in the second.  

Cale Makar scored his ninth of the season just 21 seconds into the period for Colorado’s first goal of the game. 

31 seconds after Makar cut the Panthers lead to two, Josh Manson followed suit with his fifth goal, cutting Florida’s lead to 3-2. 

The Avalanche got two back less than a minute into the second and they weren’t done there. 

At the 4:35 mark of the second, Valeri Nichushkin tied the game with his 20th goal of the year. Colorado needed less than five minutes to overcome the three goal hole. 

With all the momentum now in Colorado’s corner, Florida was in trouble within the blink of an eye. 

Panthers’ defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson was able to stop the bleeding, getting back the lead 8:50 into the second.   

After Florida went up 4-3, the Avalanche would make a change in goal. Ivan Prosvetov was replaced by Alexandar Georgiev after the goaltender allowed four goals on just 13 shots.

The Panthers went into the second intermission up one after a four goal period. 

No matter how many times they trailed, the Avalanche would not go away. 

Colorado started the third much like they did the second. Jonathan Drouin tied the game 3:31 into the period with his ninth of the season. 

Florida would catch a break after conceding the lead for a second time. Ross Colton received a double-minor penalty for high sticking Evan Rodrigues, then 25 seconds later Logan O’Connor went to the box for a delay of game. 

With a 5-on-3 man-advantage, the NHL’s best power play scorer feasted again. 

Sam Reinhart completed his hat trick 5:59 into the third — giving Florida a 5-4 lead with his 28th of the season. 

With the three goals, Reinhart jumped up to second place in NHL goal scoring — trailing just Auston Matthews (30). 

Kevin Stenlund doubled the Panthers lead in the third to make it 6-4 with 11 minutes remaining.

Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe put the icing on top with a pair of empty netters in the 8-4 win.

Panthers Notes

Tkachuk and Barkov both had four points

Sam Bennett did not return to the game in the third period

Panthers are 3-0-0 on road trip. Will wrap up the four-game trip in St. Louis on Tuesday. Florida’s last loss was to the Blues on Dec. 21 in Sunrise.