Sunrise, FL (SportsNetwork.com) – Nick Holden scored the go-ahead goal at
11:03 of the third period, and the Colorado Avalanche went on to post a 4-2
victory over the Florida Panthers on Thursday night.
Holden fired a point shot that deflected in off the stick of Panthers forward
Scottie Upshall with one second left on a power play.
Jarome Iginla added an empty-netter with 27 seconds remaining. The goal was
the 573rd of Iginla’s career, moving him into a tie with Mike Bossy for 20th
all-time in NHL history.
Semyon Varlamov made 30 saves for the Avalanche, who picked up their first win
on a five-game road trip that began with one-goal losses to Washington and
Carolina.
Roberto Luongo stopped 25-of-28 shots for Florida, which opened a five-game
homestand following a 4-2-0 road trip.
There was a lot of pressure by the Panthers to begin the game, but a breakdown
in their own zone resulted in a goal for the Avalanche. Defenseman Tyson
Barrie skated in freely from the right point with the puck and ripped a shot
past Luongo at the 2:11 mark of the first period.
Rookie defenseman Aaron Ekblad tied it three minutes later at the end of a 5-
on-3 power play. The No. 1 pick in the 2014 draft snapped a shot from the high
slot through traffic and behind Varlamov at 5:15.
Florida’s power play had been struggling of late, going 0-for-13 in the past
five games.
The Avalanche grabbed a 2-1 lead when Gabriel Landeskog made a strong move
out from behind the net with the puck and slipped it under Luongo’s right pad
at 13:02 of the second period.
Colorado’s second lead lasted only 23 seconds. Aleksander Barkov went to the
front of the net and tapped in Brad Boyes’ feed from the right wing for the
tying goal.
Game Notes
Luongo played in his 837th career game, tying Jacques Plante for 11th all-time
among NHL goaltenders … Colorado rookie forward Borna Rendulic left the game
with a foot injury and didn’t return.
