Panthers Roll Over Avalanche

     The Florida Panthers ended a three-game road trip with a 3-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche at Pepsi Center on Friday night. The Panthers finished a stretch in which they played 13 of their last 17 games on the road. The Cats will play eight of their next nine games at home.
     There was no scoring by either team until the second period. Colorado(11-17-1) moved out to a 1-0 lead at 10:11. Nathan MacKinnon was on the right wing and placed a cross-ice pass to Fedor Tyutin in the left circle for a one-time slapshot past James Reimer.
     Florida(14-13-5) battled back to tie the game with 3:50 left in the second. Aleksander Barkov dropped a pass to Seth Griffith at the left point. He put a lead pass to Jason Demers in the slot and he backhanded it by Calvin Pickard.
     In the third period, the Panthers compiled a shorthanded goal at the 6:37 mark. Derek MacKenzie sent a clearing pass out of his zone to center ice. Reilly Smith raced down, carried the puck into the Avs zone on a breakaway and slipped in a backhand shot.
     The Cats were able to get a two-goal cushion with 9:11 remaining in the third. Colton Sceviour passed the puck from the left corner to Michael Matheson on the left point and sailed a shot into the cage.