The Florida Panthers are hitting the road for the first time in 2025. After a nice, long homestand, Florida is heading out west for a couple games, starting on Monday night against the Colorado Avalanche.

Colorado’s only goal in the loss came in the first period on the power play off the stick of Mikko Rantanen. Named the third star of the game in a losing effort, Mackenize Blackwood looked sturdy once again for the Avalanche, stopping 22 of 23 shots between the pipes.

Devon Toews scored twice, including the go-ahead goal with 11:06 remaining, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Florida Panthers 3-1.

BOTTOM LINE: The Florida Panthers visit the Colorado Avalanche ... Jonathan Drouin led the Avalanche with two goals. TOP PERFORMERS: Nathan MacKinnon has 14 goals and 51 assists for the Avalanche.

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But the Avs looked like a completely different club Monday night, completing the first half of the regular season with a statement effort against the defending champion Florida Panthers. Devon Toews scored twice, Mackenzie Blackwood made 26 saves and the Avalanche scratched out its 25th win in 41 games, a 3-1 victory at Ball Arena.

The Panthers struggle on the road and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is starting to show his age. Mikko Rantanen will make them pay tonight. The Colorado Avalanche host the Florida Panthers this evening at Ball Arena at 9:00 p.m. ET. NHL odds have Colorado as a -130 favorite, while the total sits at 6.5.

The Florida Panthers visit the Colorado Avalanche after the Panthers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 in a shootout

Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, left, makes a stick-save against a shot by Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) in the first period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 6 ...

Florida Panthers (24-14-2 ... Jonathan Drouin led the Avalanche with two goals. TOP PERFORMERS: Nathan MacKinnon has 14 goals and 51 assists for the Avalanche. Artturi Lehkonen has six goals ...

To mark the halfway point of the 2024-25 regular season, NHL.com is running its third installment of the Trophy Tracker series. Today, we look at the race for the Hart Trophy, given annually to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team in the NHL as selected in a poll by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.