Postgame Wrap-Up: Soderberg's Multi-Point Game In Florida

SUNRISE, Fla.--For the second time this season, Carl Soderberg has scored in consecutive games.
He has two goals in the Colorado Avalanche's last two games after recording a tally and adding an assist on Thursday to help the Avs defeat the Florida Panthers 5-2 at BB&T Center.

His marker came while the team was shorthanded and his second point gave the Avs a two-goal lead 7:05 into the third period.
"They turned the puck over off the rush, and we had a 2-on-2 going," Soderberg said of his gaol. "I just wanted to get a shot on it there and tried to score obviously, so it was nice to see it go in."

It was the second straight game that the Avalanche scored while killing a penalty, the first time the team has strung together consecutive contests with a short-handed goal since March 18-20, 2013.
In Tuesday's game at the Pittsburgh Penguins, Matt Nieto scored while the other team had a power play for the fourth time in his NHL tenure. Soderberg's marker versus the Panthers was the second short-handed tally of his career.
"We have to take advantage as well but at the same time, first and foremost, we want to defend," Soderberg said of the team's mindset while someone is in the box. "We have a pretty good penalty kill so far and we have a lot of road games too; it's a little harder to kill on the road. So we are pretty happy with our penalty kill."

In addition to Soderberg's tally, Mikko Rantanen, J.T. Compher, Matt Nieto and Gabriel Landeskog also scored for Colorado.
Following Thursday's five-goal performance, Colorado now has 107 markers on the season, ranking second in the league behind the Tampa Bay Lightning (115)--the Avs' opponent on Saturday to wrap up the four-game trip. The Avalanche's 3.69 goals-per-game average also ranks second behind the Bolts.
"You aren't going to love the way you are playing constantly 60 minutes every game," said head coach Jared Bednar. "But, when you are finding ways to win and you answer the bell like we did tonight in the third period and you are playing equally as good on the road as you are at home, those things matter.
"Different guys stepping up, like tonight to me [goaltender Philipp] Grubauer he was great, and Compher, Soderberg. We had some good solid performances from some guys that made big differences in the hockey game tonight."

GRUBI GOOD: In his 10th start of the season, Philipp Grubauer made 33 saves to earn the victory, his seventh of the season.
He is now 7-0-2 in his last nine starts, matching the longest streak of his career without a regulation loss. He also went that long from Nov. 15, 2016 to Jan. 21, 2017 with the Washington Capitals.
"The last two starts weren't too great in Detroit and Pittsburgh, so we wanted to make sure we come out and be ready to go right away from the start. We did a great job," said the German netminder. "They are a fast team, I think really, really skilled. One of the more skilled teams in the league. I think the PK really stepped up today. Obviously we got scored on in the second period [during a kill], but they did a great job."
Colorado killed four of the five penalties it took in the contest, and the one that Florida did convert on came 35 seconds after Soderberg's short-handed goal.

MIKKO EXTENDS HIS STREAK: Mikko Rantanen's goal in the first period extended his point streak to 10 games, surpassing his previous career high of nine games set at the start of the season.
Rantanen has registered 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) during the stretch that began on Nov. 18, and it is presently the second-longest active streak in the NHL behind Cam Atkinson's 12 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Only two other Avalanche players have recorded point streaks of 10 or more games since 2007-08. Nathan MacKinnon did it last season and in 2013-14 and Tyson Barrie also had a stretch in 2017-18.
The Finnish right wing remains the league leader in points (47) and assists (35).
NEMETH HITS 200 GAME MARK:The contest marked the 200th in the NHL for Avs defenseman Patrik Nemeth. The Stockholm, Sweden, native recorded an assist on Colorado's first marker to increase his career point total to 33 (four goals, 29 assists).
He now has one goal and three assists in 24 contests so far this campaign.
"It's fun obviously to have 200 games, but I want to play way more," the blueliner said of the milestone after morning skate. "You gain experience and that is what I am trying to keep doing here."
Nemeth played his first 108 outings with the Dallas Stars before Colorado claimed him on waivers right before the 2017-18 season began.
Last year, he led Colorado and ranked fourth among all NHL rear guards with a plus-27 rating, the highest by an Avs player since 2003-04 when Alex Tanguay was a plus-30 and the best by a team defenseman since Adam Foote was a plus-30 in 2002-03.
AVS COMPLETE ROAD SWING ON SATURDAY: Colorado concludes its four-game trip on the East Coast at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.
Colorado is now 11-5-2 on the road this year and has the most away points (24) of any team in the NHL. The Avs' 70 goals on the road this season are also the most of any club.
The Avalanche is 10-3-2 against Eastern Conference teams this season, which includes a 6-2-1 mark against the conference on the road.
After netting the first marker of the contest in Florida, Colorado is now 12-2-2 when scoring the first goal of the game, tied for the fourth-most wins in the league when getting on the scoreboard first.