SUNRISE, Fla. — The Colorado Avalanche showed off its sublime collection of skill, increased depth and ability to play beautiful hockey against the defending Stanley Cup champions on Saturday night.
Some of the Avs’ early-season flaws were also on display at Amerant Arena. In the end, Colorado needed a great third period from its goaltender and contributions from nearly the entire lineup to collect a 7-4 win against the Florida Panthers.
It didn’t always look great, but the Avs have won seven of their last nine games and 12 of 17 since an 0-4 start.
“I think we’re pretty happy with the lineup we’re playing now,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “We’re getting contributions from all four lines and six-plus (defensemen). We just want to continue to refine our game and get better and better as the season goes on.”
Jonathan Drouin had his first two goals of the season, Valeri Nichushkin had his first three points and Oliver Kylington’s two-point night included his first goal in an Avs uniform — a much-needed insurance marker after Florida had made a huge push in the final period.
Colorado exploded for four goals in the second. The last one will be on the shortlist of the best team goals created by the Avs this season. It started with a couple of slick passes to get out of the defensive zone, and then all five Avalanche players touched the puck at the offensive end.
Nichushkin entered the zone and left it for Casey Mittelstadt. He drew two guys to him and then slipped a pass to Devon Toews. He found Samuel Girard in the left circle, and then the Avs defenseman hit Mikko Rantanen at the right post for a re-direct while down on one knee.
“Every guy on the ice on that particular play did the right thing,” Bednar said. “(Girard) makes a great pass and it ends up being a tap-in, but it’s all the work that came before that builds that goal.”
That made it a 5-2 game. The first four Colorado goals in this contest were a mix of skill and good fortune.
Drouin made it a 2-2 game on the first shift of the second period. Cale Makar found him cutting from left to right in front of the crease, and Drouin calmly caught the pass and flicked a backhanded shot past a helpless Sergei Bobrovsky.
“I feel more comfortable with every game,” said Drouin, who missed 16 of the first 17 with an upper-body injury. “It’s a very hard team to play against here … I thought we played a good game after giving up the first goal.”
It was Makar’s second assist, and the 100th multi-point game of his career. Only Bobby Orr reached that milestone faster among defensemen in NHL history.
Logan O’Connor made it 3-2 with his second of the season at 4:04. Kylington got beat in his own end, but Sam Malinski bailed him out with a nice defensive play. Then Kylington made a great pass to spring O’Connor on a breakaway, and he snapped a shot over Bobrovsky’s shoulder.
Girard’s shot from the left point went off two Panthers before it reached the back of the net at 8:54 to give the Avs a two-goal lead.
The Panthers struck first on the opening shift of the game. Carter Verhaeghe’s shot from the outside of the right circle went through Girard’s legs and beat goaltender Alexandar Georgiev to the short side just 52 seconds in.
Drouin’s first goal was a dirty one. Makar’s shot from the left point shortly after Drouin had won an offensive zone faceoff went off Bobrovsky, off Drouin’s body and trickled back across the goal line at 9:13.
Florida went back ahead 2-1 at the end of a shift to forget for the Avs. There was a turnover in the neutral zone, then another that gave ex-Colorado forward Evan Rodrigues a wide-open look. He missed the net, but the Avs still couldn’t get out of danger. Eventually, Aleksander Barkov swatted the puck out of the air behind Georgiev at 15:44.
Given the context — a healthy Stanley Cup champion, in its building — this was one of the most impressive wins of the Avalanche’s season.
“We’re still missing (Ross Colton), and he’s an important piece, but most of the guys are here,” Drouin said. “Every time you play the defending Stanley Cup champion, you want to play well and go right up against them.
“I thought we played a really, really good game here.”
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