The Colorado Avalanche take on the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena today. Here are the projected/expected lineups sourced from NHL.com staff writers, independent correspondents, and others.
AVALANCHE (31-2-7) at PANTHERS (21-16-3)
5 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, ALT, SN
Avalanche projected lineup
Gabriel Landeskog — Nathan MacKinnon — Martin Necas
Artturi Lehkonen — Brock Nelson — Valeri Nichushkin
Ross Colton — Jack Drury — Victor Olofsson
Zakhar Bardakov — Parker Kelly — Gavin Brindley
Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Josh Manson — Brent Burns
Samuel Girard — Sam Malinski
Trent Miner
Scott Wedgewood
Scratched: Ilya Solovyov, Taylor Makar
Injured: Mackenzie Blackwood (lower body), Joel Kiviranta (lower body), Logan O’Connor (hip surgery)
Status report
Neither team held a morning skate. … Blackwood, a goalie, was placed on injured reserve Friday. Miner, recalled from Colorado of the American Hockey League, could make his third start of the season.
Latest for THW:
- Avalanche Week Ahead: Schedule & Storylines – Blackwood, Olympics and More
- NHL Rumours: Mangiapane Out, Zegras Deal Inevitable & Olympic Injuries
- NHL Morning Recap – January 4, 2026
Panthers projected lineup
Eetu Luostarinen — Anton Lundell — Sam Reinhart
Brad Marchand — Sam Bennett — Carter Verhaeghe
Mackie Samoskevich — Evan Rodrigues — A.J. Greer
Jesper Boqvist — Luke Kunin — Jack Studnicka
Gustav Forsling — Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola — Jeff Petry
Donovan Sebrango — Uvis Balinskis
Sergei Bobrovsky
Daniil Tarasov
Scratched: Noah Gregor, Tobias Bjornfot
Injured: Seth Jones (upper body), Aleksander Barkov (knee), Matthew Tkachuk (lower body), Tomas Nosek (knee), Jonah Gadjovich (upper body), Dmitry Kulikov (shoulder), Cole Schwindt (arm)
Status report
Florida may be without Jones after the defenseman left a 5-1 loss to the New York Rangers at the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic in Miami on Friday. Coach Paul Maurice said Saturday that Jones is considered day to day. … The Panthers called up Bjornfot, a defenseman, from Charlotte of the AHL … Tkachuk, a forward, continues to practice in a yellow noncontact jersey but is not expected to return Sunday.
Latest for THW:
- NHL Rumours: Mangiapane Out, Zegras Deal Inevitable & Olympic Injuries
- Jones’ Injury at Winter Classic Adds to the Panthers’ Season of Attrition
- NHL Morning Recap – January 3, 2026
