Toews tallies twice to lift Avalanche past Panthers

DENVER (AP) — Devon Toews scored twice, including the go-ahead goal with 11:06 remaining, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Florida Panthers 3-1 on Monday night.

Mikko Rantanen added a late empty-net goal to help the Avalanche wrap up a four-game homestand at 3-0-1. Rantanen's score allowed him to extend his points streak to 14 games.

Mackenzie Blackwood finished with 25 saves as he continues to shine in net since being acquired in a deal with San Jose last month. He’s now 7-1-1 with Colorado.

Carter Verhaeghe staked the Panthers to a 1-0 lead in the first period. The Panthers have proven tough to beat when scoring first on the road since 2023-24. They had an .818 winning percentage entering the night, according to NHL Stats.

Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 31 shots.

Toews tied the game at 1-apiece with 1:42 left in the second period when his shot hit the crossbar and bounced off Bobrovsky's back into the net.

It was the Bobrovsky Show in the first period as he turned back back 11 shots, including a mini-breakaway from Nathan MacKinnon.

On the offensive end, Verhaeghe executed a give-and-go with Anton Lundell for his 10th goal of the season.

Panthers: It was a milestone night for defenseman Nate Schmidt, who played in his 700th NHL game.

Avalanche: Toews had two goals and an assist to give the Avalanche defensemen a league-leading 110 points (23 goals, 87 assists) this season.

Matthew Tkachuk's chance at a tying goal with 6:11 remaining was turned away by Blackwood's left pad.

Florida and Colorado each struggled on the power play. The teams were a combined 0 for 7.

Avalanche visit Chicago on Wednesday, and the Panthers play at Utah.

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