SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Panthers (21-16-3) will try to cool off the hottest team in the NHL when they host the Colorado Avalanche (31-2-7) at Amerant Bank Arena on Sunday at 5 p.m. ET.
Leading the NHL with 69 points, Colorado has won each of its last 10 games.
“This is an elite team playing at their best,” head coach Paul Maurice said.
Bringing outdoor hockey to Florida for the first time in NHL history, the Panthers enter tonight’s tilt after a 5-1 loss to the New York Rangers in the Winter Classic on Friday.
With 36,000 fans in the stands, it was an incredibly special game despite the outcome.
“The refocus park is really easy,” Maruice said of turning the page. “It’s a unique, one-off game.”
Exiting the Winter Classic with an injury after just three shifts, defenseman Seth Jones, who was hit up high by a deflected puck, will not suit up for the Panthers against the Avalanche.
Set to compete for USA Hockey at the upcoming Winter Olympics, Jones leads Florida’s blueliners in goals (6), assists (18), points (24) and average ice time per game (23:29).
With Jones out, Donovan Sebrango will re-enter the lineup and play on the bottom pair.
“We’ll list him as day to day,” Maurice said of Jones’ injury. “He’s got an appointment tomorrow that will tell us everything we need to know about the timeline.”
Up front, the two hottest skaters for the Panthers remain Brad Marchand and Sam Reinhart.
Reinhart, who registered Florida’s lone goal in the Winter Classic, is tied with Marchand for the team lead in goals (23), while also ranking second in assists (21) and points (44). On a three-game goal streak, Reinhart has found the back of the net four times during that span.
Leading the Panthers with 46 points, Marchand is riding a 10-game point streak.
Manning the crease, Daniil Tarasov will get the start for Florida.
Keeping their winning streak alive, the Avalanche enter tonight’s matchup after opening up their three-game road trip with a 5-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.
During their 10-game winning streak, they’re leading 45-21 in goals.
After posting back-to-back games with four points, Nathan MacKinnon has overtaken Connor McDavid for the scoring lead in the NHL with a whopping 74 points (35G, 39A).
Also fueling Colorado’s top-ranked offense, Martin Necas has 53 points (19G, 34A), Cale Makar has 47 points (12G, 35A) and Artturi Lehkonen has 33 points (14G, 19A).
In net, Scott Wedgewood is likely to start for the Avalanche. In 25 appearances this season, he’s gone 18-1-4 with a .918 save percentage. With backup Mackenzie Blackwood landing on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, Trent Miner came up from the AHL on Friday.
Facing off in Colorado on Dec. 11, the Avalanche topped the Panthers in their previous meeting this season by a score of 6-2. Despite trailing 5-1 entering the third period, the Panthers didn’t pack it up and instead played Colorado to a 1-1 tie in the final frame.
Building from that loss, the Panthers have gone 6-3-1 since.
“Great speed straight through their lineup,” Maurice said.
THEY SAID IT
"The story really is the show that went on here today, the spectacle of it. It’s not about the X's and O's. This was brilliant, just absolutely brilliant." – Paul Maurice on the Winter Classic
“It’s going to be a tough January. Everyone is going through it. It’s a lot of games at this time of year for a lot of teams. It’s going to be a big month for us.” – Sam Reinhart on the road ahead
FIVE CATS STATS
- Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers with eight power-play goals.
- A.J. Greer has racked up a team-leading 106 hits.
- Brad Marchands leads the Panthers with 12 multi-point games.
- Anton Lundell has won a team-high 362 faceoffs.
- The Panthers rank tied for fifth in the NHL with 50 third-period goals.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
FORWARDS
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Brad Marchand
Mackie Samoskevich – Evan Rodrigues – A.J. Greer
Jesper Boqvist – Luke Kunin – Jack Studnicka
DEFENSEMEN
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Uvis Balinskis
Donovan Sebrango – Jeff Petry
Goaltenders
Daniil Tarasov
Sergei Bobrovsky
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Jan. 4: D Tobias Bjornfot was recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Sunday, Jan. 4 at 5 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming: WSFL, WHDT, WFTX, PanthersPlus.TV
Radio: 560 WQAM-AM (Dade/Broward); 106.3 WESP-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); Panthers GameDay App; SiriusXM 219/App & Streaming 931
Tickets: Click Here
