Panthers at Avalanche
The struggling Colorado Avalanche host another team in dire need of a victory Friday when the road-weary Florida Panthers pay a visit. The Avalanche are 2-7-1 over their last 10 games and dropped to last in the league with 23 points, but did rebound from an embarrassing loss with a victory at Toronto before suffering a 4-3 setback against red-hot Philadelphia on Wednesday.
“We need results,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar told reporters after Wednesday’s defeat. “It gets frustrating, but you have to reset after a win or a loss. … I really liked the way we played. We made one more mistake than they did and it cost us the game.” The Avalanche dropped a 5-2 decision on Oct. 22 at Florida, which coughed up a third-period lead in a 4-3 shootout loss at Winnipeg on Thursday. The Panthers were 1-for-25 on the power play in seven games before converting all three opportunities in Winnipeg, but fell to 2-3-4 since Tom Rowe took over for Gerard Gallant as coach. Florida is 2-1-1 in the second of back-to-backs this season, but five defensemen played at least 22 minutes Thursday.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, FSN Florida, Altitude (Colorado)
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (13-13-5): Aleksander Barkov scored his seventh goal Thursday to take over the team lead with 21 points and passed Jonathan Marchessault (20), who missed the Winnipeg contest with a lower-body injury. Veteran Jaromir Jagr added an assist against the Jets to push his career total to 1,884 points, four from passing Mark Messier for second on the NHL’s all-time list. Forward Reilly Smith snapped a 10-game goal drought Thursday while adding an assist to record his first multi-point contest of the season, and has tallied five times after finishing with a career-high 25 in 2015-16.
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (11-16-1): Leading scorers Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon have warmed up again and each boasts 20 points after Wednesday’s setback. Duchene, who has returned to his natural center position, owns five goals in the last five games to push his total to a team-high 12 and MacKinnon registered five points in the last five contests after going without one for four straight. Goalie Semyon Varlamov (groin), who missed Wednesday’s game, skated on his own Thursday while center Joe Colborne (lower-body) and defenseman Francois Beauchemin (upper-body) missed practice.
OVERTIME
1. Colorado F Rene Bourque boasts nine goals this season and has not reached double figures since 2011-12 with Calgary.
2. Florida G Roberto Luongo, who could sit in favor of G James Reimer after playing Thursday, is one win from tying Terry Sawchuk (447) for fifth on the NHL’s all-time list.
3. The Avalanche stood last in goals against (3.18) and 27th in goals for (2.25) entering Thursday.