Florida Panthers (18-19-4) vs. Colorado Avalanche (20-15-3)
The 2022-23 NHL season goes on Tuesday, January 10, with the Florida Panthers facing off against the Colorado Avalanche in the cross-conference showdown at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, and the puck drop is set for 9:30 PM ET.
Florida meets Colorado for the first time this season. They split a two-game set in 2021-22, and each team emerged victorious at home. The Avalanche open as -135 moneyline favorites, while the totals are listed at 6.5 goals.
The Florida Panthers continue their four-game road trip following a 3-2 victory at the Detroit Red Wings and a 5-1 defeat at the Dallas Stars. Last Sunday, the Panthers suffered a heavy loss at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, playing as +110 moneyline underdogs. They were outshot 34-28 and didn’t stand a chance against in-form Jake Oettinger and the Stars’ defense.
“We were good right to 3-1,” first-year Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “And then, we haven’t had comebacks this year. We just have to understand that a 60-minute game is harder, harder to play.”
The Panthers are now 0-15-1 when trailing after two periods in 2022-23. Spencer Knights yielded four goals on 33 shots against the Stars and fell to 9-7-3 with a 3.05 GAA and .906 save percentage on the season. Sergei Bobrovsky is projected to patrol the crease Tuesday, and the 34-year-old veteran is 9-12-1 with a 3.26 GAA and .895 save percentage this season.
19 on the year for Swaggy ?? pic.twitter.com/hRsTSfarCd
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) January 8, 2023
The Panthers rank 15th in the NHL in goals for (3.22 per game) and 23rd in goals against (3.41). They’ve allowed the fourth-most power-play goals in the league (39) while going 30-for-148 with the man advantage (22nd). Matthew Tkachuk leads the way for the Panthers with 20 goals and 29 assists this season, but he couldn’t find the back of the net in four of his previous five appearances.