SUNRISE, Fla. — Carl Soderberg scored twice, J.T. Compher broke a third-period tie and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Florida Panthers 5-2 on Thursday night.
Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog also scored for the Avalanche. Philipp Grubauer stopped 33 shots.
Aaron Ekblad and Colton Sceviour had the goals for the Panthers. Roberto Luongo made 32 saves in his second game back from a knee injury.
The score was tied at 2 in the third period before the Avalanche scored twice in 44 seconds. Compher put Colorado ahead when he tipped in a shot by Landeskog at 6:21. Soderberg’s second goal of the game, a one-timer from the left circle, made it 4-2 at 7:05.
Carl Soderberg, Colorado Avalanche (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
Landeskog added an empty-netter with 1:34 left.
Soderberg snapped a 1-all tie with his short-handed goal. He took a shot from the right circle that hit Luongo in the face mask and bounced into the net at 5:44 of the second.
The Panthers tied it about a half minute later on Ekblad’s power-play goal. Ekblad took a pass in the left circle and fired the puck past Grubauer at 6:19.
Rantanen gave Colorado a 1-0 lead when he tipped in a shot from Patrik Nemeth at 10:40 of the first. Rantanen has a 10-game point streak.
Sceviour tied the game 1-all after he redirected a shot in front from Bogdan Kiselevich with 2:07 left in the first.
NOTES: Rantanen has 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) during his point streak and leads the NHL in assists (35) and points (47). … Nemeth played his 200th NHL game. … Panthers C Nick Bjugstad returned to the lineup after leaving the game against Boston on Tuesday in the third period. Bjugstad took a hit into the boards from Bruins defenceman Connor Clifton.
UP NEXT
Avalanche: Visit the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.
Panthers: Host the New York Rangers on Saturday.
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Paul Gereffi, The Associated Press
