Cold Florida Panthers Face the Streaking Colorado Avalanche

The Florida Panthers have hit a cold streak.

Yes, it happens to the very best of teams.

After winning seven straight, the Panthers have lost four of the last five. 

Is it a cause for worry?

Probably not, but good teams do not let losing streaks last too long.

Florida, which has lost four of its past five games, need to end this current run and soon.

Ending it against the Colorado Avalanche will not come easy.

After a slow start, the Avalanche have righted its ship with five wins in its past six games including three straight.

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Colorado features some of the best sharpshooters in the league.

Nathan MacKinnon is tied with the Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov for the NHL scoring lead.

Teammates Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen are also in the top 10.

Makar leads all defensemen in scoring.

Casey Middlestadt, in his first full season with the Avalanche, is on a career pace.

The Avs play a tight-checking game despite their freewheeling offensive style. Colorado has allowed the third-fewest shots per game in the NHL.

Florida can’t afford to fall behind: While Colorado is 8-0-0 when leading after two periods, the Panthers are 0-7-0 when trailing after 40. 

Coach Paul Maurice typically considers slumps part of the game and is not particularly upset if his team shows effort and has the opportunity to win.

That did not seem to be the case Thursday in Chicago.

“It wasn’t the game,” Maurice said. “This is a five-game block. We played one we liked, and that’s not good enough for us.”

Maurice will not hit the panic button after a championship season, but he did not seem happy with the effort.

The two losses to New Jersey were blowouts, but corrections were made, and there was a decisive win over Winnipeg.

If you disregard the empty netters, the Winnipeg return match and the Chicago game were one-goal losses. 

They were not that close. 

The Panthers fell behind early in both and never really created the opportunity to catch up.

Florida swept the two-game series from Colorado last season but tonight will be a real test.

ON DECK: GAME 21

COLORADO AVALANCHE AT FLORIDA PANTHERS 

• When: Saturday, 6 p.m.
• Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise
• Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FTL); WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (Naples/FTM)
• Streaming: Panthers+, ESPN+
• Radio: WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
• Last Season: Panthers Won 2-0
• This Season — At Colorado: Jan. 6. At Florida: Saturday.
• All-time Regular Season Series: Colorado leads 27-14-5, 3 ties
• Postseason Series: Colorado d. Florida 4-0, 1996 Stanley Cup Final
• Up Next for the Panthers: Monday vs. Washington Capitals, 7 p.m.