Florida Panthers (15-12-2) @ Colorado Avalanche (21-2-7)
7:30 p.m. MT | Ball Arena | Watch: ESPN | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (92.5 FM)
After going 2-1-1 on a four-game road trip, the Avalanche returns to Ball Arena and hosts the Florida Panthers on Thursday. This game is an Avalanche Cup Classic, presented by KeyBank, which will honor the 1996 Avalanche team that defeated the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final. Several alumni from that team will be in attendance, including Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg and Claude Lemieux. Thursday’s contest is the first of two regular-season meetings between the teams, as they’ll play in Sunrise, Florida, on January 4th.
Latest Result (COL): COL 3, NSH 4 (SO)
Latest Result (FLA): NYI 1, FLA 4
Earned a Road Point
Cale Makar scored a game-tying goal with eight seconds remaining in regulation to help the Avalanche pick up a point in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday. Brock Nelson and Artturi Lehkonen scored Colorado’s first two goals while Nathan MacKinnon, who played in his 900th NHL game, and Martin Necas both posted two assists. At 1:12 of the first period, Nelson opened the scoring off the with his 11th goal of the season via a backhand shot from the doorstep after making a toe-drag deke around Nashville defenseman Roman Josi. The Predators tied the game on the power-play when Jonathan Marchessault scored from the right doorstep at 4:05 of the first period. Reid Schaefer gave Nashville a 2-1 lead at 5:30 of the opening frame with a shot from the doorstep after a drive to the net. Lehkonen tied the game at 10:21 of the first period with his 11th goal of the season when he finished a net-front rebound. At 12:58 of the third period, Brady Skjei gave Nashville a 3-2 lead with a right-point shot through traffic. While the Avs were on a power-play with its goalie pulled, Makar scored his 10th goal of the season and tied the game at 19:52 of the third period via a shot from the point. In the shootout, Ryan O’Reilly scored the game-winning goal for Nashville in the first round.
Leading the Way
Nate the Great
MacKinnon leads the NHL in points (51) and goals (24) while being tied for fourth in assists (27). For the second-consecutive season, he was the first player in the NHL to reach 50 points.
All Hail Cale
Makar leads NHL defensemen in points (36) and assists (26) while ranking second in goals by blueliners (10). Among all skaters, Makar is tied for sixth in assists.
Marty Party
Necas is tied for fourth in the NHL in assists (27) and sixth in points (41).
Series History
In 44 previous regular-season games against the Panthers, the Avalanche has a record of 25-12-7. The teams have met once in the playoffs, with the Avalanche defeating the Panthers in four games in the 1996 Stanley Cup Final.
Winning on Wednesday
The Panthers defeated the Utah Mammoth 4-3 at Delta Center on Wednesday. In the first period, Utah’s Dylan Guenther scored at 11:23 before Florida’s Carter Verhaeghe tied the game at 19:17. Florida took a 3-1 lead in the second period after goals from Sam Bennett at 1:40 and 3:24 of the frame. The Mammoth tied the game after second-period goals from Guenther at 3:37 and Jack McBain at 14:37. Anton Lundell gave the Panthers a 4-3 lead at 19:08 of the third period.
Producing Against the Panthers
MacKinnon has posted 18 points (8g/10a) in 22 games against the Panthers.
In 15 contests against Florida, Gabriel Landeskog has recorded nine points (5g/4a).
Brent Burns has registered 26 points (9g/17a) in 32 regular-season games against the Panthers, along with three assists in nine playoff contests.
South Florida’s Scorers
Brad Marchand leads the Panthers in points (31) while being tied for first in goals (16) and assists (15).
Lundell is tied for the team lead in assists (15), is tied for third in points (23) and tied for fifth in goals (8).
Sam Reinhart is second on the team in goals (15) and points (28) while ranking tied for fourth in assists (13).
A Numbers Game
10
Lehkonen’s 10 high-danger goals are tied for the sixth most in the NHL.
7
Necas’ seven assists in December lead the NHL.
4
Colorado has allowed an NHL-fewest four third-period goals at home this season.
Quote That Left a Mark
"Good on our guys to stick with it. I liked a couple of our power plays tonight, [the] first one especially. Didn't capitalize. Then you kind of get down to the nitty gritty at the end of it [on the] six-on-five. It was hard-working, [we] managed the puck well. We had a couple [of] looks, draw a penalty, gives us a little bit more of an advantage for six-on-four. I liked the fact that we didn't force anything, but we took a couple [of] good looks at the net, and eventually, Cale's shot finds its way through. So, it's a big goal for us. [It] gets us a point."
-- Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar on the team tying the game and its power play against Nashville on Tuesday
