Panthers at Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche erupted for a season-high goal total during their just-concluded four-game road trip and will face the team they victimized on Thursday night in the opener of a three-game homestand. Five days after rolling to a 7-3 rout of Florida in Miami, the Avalanche will take on the Panthers in a rematch at the Pepsi Center.
Despite ending the road trip with a 5-2 loss at Washington, Colorado general manager Joe Sakic was happy with the split, especially since it followed a horrendous 1-4-0 homestand. "Every team has a dip at some point," Sakic said. "It’s how you bounce back, how you stop the losing streak, and I’ve thought we’ve done a pretty good job on this trip." The Panthers will make the third stop on a five-game trek after getting trampled by the Avalanche, edging Detroit in overtime 2-1 before falling to Chicago 3-2 in OT. Aleksander Barkov, Florida's third-leading scorer, sat out last week's meeting versus Colorado, but he is riding a five-game point streak.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, FSN Florida, Altitude (Colorado)
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (12-14-5): Forward Evgenii Dadonov (upper body) returned to the lineup Tuesday after a 2 1/2-week absence, well ahead of his estimated recovery timetable of four to six weeks. However, linemate Denis Malgin was knocked out of the game early in the first period after absorbing a hard hit and was termed day-to-day by coach Bob Boughner, who said there's a chance he could be in the lineup Thursday. Goaltender James Reimer, who was dented for five goals by Colorado last week, will make his fifth consecutive start.
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (14-14-2): Nathan MacKinnon leads the team in goals (11), assists (22) and points (33), providing the production expected from a player drafted No. 1 overall in 2013. "This is Nathan’s fifth year in the league -- he’s still only 22 -- but he’s taken the next step that Gabe (Landeskog) has, that EJ (Erik Johnson) has," Sakic said. "We’ve got the guys who are leading and the other guys are following.” Rookie center Alex Kerfoot, who scored in the previous matchup versus Florida, is listed as day-to-day with a leg injury.
OVERTIME
1. Colorado was 0-for-14 on the power play during its last four games.
2. Panthers C Vincent Trocheck has three goals and six assists over a six-game point streak.
3. MacKinnon has just two points in nine games versus Florida.