5 TAKEAWAYS: Avalanche 5, Panthers 3

SUNRISE, Fla. -The Florida Panthers saw their winning streak snapped at three games with a 5-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche at FLA Live Arena on Saturday.
At 26-23-6, Florida still sits just three points out of a playoff spot.
"We've been playing really well lately," Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. "We don't want to concentrate on this loss too much. Maybe pick all the good things from this, move on and keep playing the way we've been playing."
For a quick recap of the game, click
HERE
.
To read up on five key takeaways for the Cats, continue below.

1. AVS TAKE THE FIRST

For the second straight game, the Panthers weren't happy with their start.
In addition to surrendering two goals before the 10-minute mark, the Panthers trailed the Avalanche 23-16 in shot attempts and 11-6 in scoring chances during the opening period.
Giving up prime real estate, Florida also trailed 8-2 in high-danger shot attempts.
"Obviously that's not the start we want," Panthers forward Sam Bennett said. "We've got to figure it out because these are so important. We can't be coming out flat like we have."
Overall, the Panthers have been having some great starts as of late.
Since Jan. 1, they rank tied for fifth in the NHL with 18 first-period goals.

2. EK ON THE BOARD

Aaron Ekblad is approaching double digits.
Getting the Panthers on the board in the second period, the top-pairing defenseman floated a shot from the blue line past a screened Alexander Georgiev to halve the deficit to 2-1 at 7:03.

Ekblad's ninth goal of the season, the former 2014 first-overall pick needs to light the lamp just one more time to record the eighth 10-goal season of his career. On a really nice offensive run, the 26-year-old has registered seven points (two goals, five assists) over his last six contests.
In 16 career games against Colorado, Ekblad has scored six goals.

3. BENNY HEATS UP

Bennett's stick is starting to catch fire.
Touching the twine for the third time in his last four games, the grizzled forward briefly tied the game when he collected a pass from Eric Staal, skated into the center of the right circle and roofed a wicked wrist shot over Georgiev's glove to make it 2-2 at 8:08 of the second period.

"I feel pretty good," said Bennett, who's logged 35 points (14 goals, 21 assists) in 54 games in 2022-23. "Definitely playing with some confidence right now. Having fun playing with my linemates, building some chemistry."
Prior to some late-game changes, the trio of Bennett, Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe looked dominant against Colorado. Over the 7:45 of ice time they spent together at 5-on-5, the Panthers led 10-4 in shot attempts and 0.56-0.21 in expected goals, per NaturalStattrick.com.
At 5-on-5 this season, that line has outscored the opposition 15-9.

4. BARKY BACK IN ACTION

After missing one game with an injury, Barkov looked no worse for wear in his return.
Skating 23:49 against the Avalanche, the captain fired off five shots on goal, threw two hits, swiped a pair of takeaways and scored in the third period to cut Florida's deficit down to 4-3.

The only place he was limited was in the faceoff circle -- an area he'll be eased back into.
"I thought he was really good," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. "For his first game back, he had some legs. We kept him out of the center circle, but [Sam] Reinhart filled in and did a marvelous job in the middle."
Second on the Panthers in scoring with 48 points (15 goals, 33 assists), Barkov, an All-Star this season, has made a dent on the scoresheet in 14 of his last 16 games. During that torrid stretch, he ranks tied for 10th in the NHL in scoring with 21 points (six goals, 15 assists).
With even more important games on the horizon, Barkov is feeling just fine.
"I feel good," he said. "Physically, I feel good."

5. PLAYING EVEN

On paper, this game couldn't have been much more even than it was.
In all situations, the Panthers led 70-68 in shot attempts and 38-36 in scoring chances, while also trailing 50-45 in shots on goal, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
Additionally, both teams fired off 19 shots from high-danger areas.
"It ended up being an even game, but you're feeling that in our situation we can't have even games," Maurice said.
Making a strong push in the third period, the Panthers led 27-19 in shot attempts and 14-7 in scoring chances over the final 20 minutes.
Despite not getting the end result, the effort was certainly evident.
"I think we didn't have the start we wanted in this game," Barkov said. "They dominated us in the first period. I don't know what happened there, but after that we came back and played a solid game until the end. We just didn't get the goals at the end."