Avalanche Continues Road Trip in Florida

The Colorado Avalanche continues its first road trip of the season against the Florida Panthers on Thursday at FLA Live Arena.
The Avs began their trip with a 6-3 loss against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday and will conclude the journey at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. Against Washington, J.T. Compher notched a goal and an assist, while Darren Helm and Mikko Rantanen also scored. Bowen Byram, Logan O'Connor and Nathan MacKinnon each tallied an assist.
The Avs and Panthers have not faced off in nearly two years, with their last matchup occurring on Oct. 30, 2019. Colorado picked up a point in that contest, falling 4-3 in overtime at home in the outing.

The teams will meet twice this season, with the next contest taking place in Denver on Dec. 12.

Avalanche at Florida Panthers

FLA Live Arena | Sunrise, Fla.
| Game Time: | 5 p.m. | | --- | --- | | TV: | Altitude, Bally Sports-Florida (FLA) - blackouts apply | | Radio: | Altitude Sports Radio, FM 92.5/AM 950 (KKSE) | | Live Streams: | AltitudeNow.com, Official app, ESPN+- blackouts apply | | Online Audio: | Listen Live Here | | Follow: | @Avalanche, Official app, Gamecenter |

COLORADO-FLORIDA CONNECTIONS

Joel Quenneville coached in Colorado from 2005-08 and was an assistant on the Avalanche's 1996 Stanley Cup winning team... Kevin Connauton spent the 2019-20 season with the Avalanche organization… Florida assistant coach Andrew Brunette played three seasons with the Avalanche from 2005-2008 … Jayson Megna was born in Fort Lauderdale.

HISTORY

The Colorado franchise has a 25-10-5 record against the Panthers all time. The teams last faced each other on Oct. 30, 2019, with the Panthers taking home a 4-3 overtime victory in Denver.

ROSTER REPORT

Captain Gabriel Landeskog will return from his two-game suspension, and he is expected to skated on a line with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen for the first time this season.

INJURY REPORT

Valeri Nichushkin remains unavailable as he is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Goaltender Pavel Francouz is out three-to-four weeks after suffering a lower-body injury in a preseason contest on Oct. 5 against the Vegas Golden Knights. Blueliner Devon Toews (upper body) remains a non-contact participant at practice and is on Colorado's three-game road trip. Stefan Matteau will be out for weeks with a lower-body injury he suffered on Saturday against the St. Louis Blues.

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS

Florida has yet to drop a contest this season, currently sporting a 3-0-0 record. They've notched wins over the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders and Lighting thus far.
Last season, the Panthers posted a 37-14-5 record throughout the regular season. They were eliminated from playoff contention by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay, falling in six games in the first round.

(OPPOSING) PLAYER TO WATCH: Aleksander Barkov

Aleksander Barkov has tallied two goals and three assists in Florida's first three games, contributing to an undefeated start to the season. The 26-year-old center won the Frank J. Selke trophy last year, which is annually awarded to "the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game," as selected by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

NUMBERS GAME

3

Bowen Byram has a goal and two assists in three games so far this year and his three points are tied for the NHL rookie scoring lead.

1 & 2

Nathan MacKinnon and Florida center Aleksander Barkov were drafted first and second overall respectively by their current teams in 2013.

1996

The Avalanche defeated the Florida Panthers 4-0 in the 1996 Stanley Cup finals to bring home their first championship.

NOTEBOOK

This is the Avalanche's first visit to South Florida in two years since a 5-4 win on Oct. 18, 2019… J.T. Compher leads Colorado with two goals and is tied for first on the team in scoring with four points (two goals, two assists)… Nazem Kadri has 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists) in 30 career games against Florida, the most of any skater on the Avalanche's roster.