Saturday's game will mark the fourth in six nights for the Avs and will conclude a tough early-season road trip that's pitted Colorado against some of the Eastern Conference's top teams. The Avalanche is 2-1-0 through the first three games of the trip, with wins over the Pittsburgh Penguins and Lightning.
"It's a great start based on the opponents we've played," said Avalanche defenseman Francois Beauchemin after the victory in Tampa. "We've played four teams that went deep in the playoffs last year. These are tough games to play, and I thought we had a great response tonight after the effort we gave in Washington. It's not just a win; it's the way we played tonight. We kept things simple. We made the easy play instead of forcing things up the middle."
Goaltender Semyon Varlamov will get the nod in net once again, making his third straight start and coming off a 27-save shutout performance on Thursday.
"He's been really sharp. To be honest through exhibition and everything, he's been really good. I think in the Dallas game, we hung him out to dry a little bit with some of the chances that we gave up," said Avalanche coach Jared Bednar of his netminder. "He's been really good for us, has given us a chance to win every night."
The Avalanche is 4-for-14 (28.6%) on the power play so far this season, which ranks sixth in the National Hockey League.
Offense has been a strength for Colorado, which is averaging 3.50 goals per game, tied for seventh in the league. That scoring punch will be put to the test by a Florida team that currently ranks sixth in goals against per game, allowing just 2.25.
"I think our guys are excited. They're having fun coming to the rink right now and winning helps that. When you play the way we played--we we're doing things right all night last night, regardless of the time and score of the game--that's fun hockey," said Bednar after Friday's practice at the BB&T Center. "Playing in Washington the other night, we were chasing the game and we weren't really there or committed the way we need to be committed. That's tough hockey, and it's not real fun, and you see the difference last night. I think our guys are starting to see that. When we play hard and we're prepared, then it's fun hockey and it will come and continue the momentum."
The Avalanche and the Panthers square off at 5 p.m. MT on Saturday. The game can be watched live on Altitude and can be heard on Altitude Radio 950 AM.
