Panthers’ comeback fizzles vs. Avalanche, despite Aleksander Barkov’s late goal in return
Flashbacks to the 2021-23 NHL season lasted no more than a few seconds for the Florida Panthers on Saturday.
For a moment, FLA Live Arena was abuzz in a way it hasn’t been in close to a year, with the sense the “Comeback Cats” were going to save the Panthers from an abysmal start. The Colorado Avalanche’s two-goal lead was gone in a flash and the 17,472 packed inside the Sunrise arena were loud.
It took only 25 seconds, though, for those cheers to turn to groans. Less than 30 seconds after Florida stormed back with two goals in 1:05, the Avalanche went back ahead. The return of the old comeback-happy Panthers was a brief one. Florida ended a mostly encouraging five-game homestand with a 5-3 loss to Colorado.
A year after leading the NHL in come-from-behind wins and making history for their number of three-goal comebacks, the Panthers (26-23-6) remain tied for last in the league with only six come-from-behind victories and are one of only two teams in the NHL this year yet to win when trailing by two or more goals. They’re also now back to sitting three points out of a postseason spot with only 27 games left in the regular season.
After winning three in a row for the first time all year, Florida couldn’t make it four in a row, even with All-Star center Aleksander Barkov back in the lineup following a one-game absence with an apparent hand injury.
Usually, the Panthers have folded this year when trailing by multiple goals. What made this loss deflating for Florida was how close it came to actually pulling off the type of win it made routine last season. After a lifeless first period left Florida down 2-0, the Panthers’ two rapid-fire goals in the middle of the second period gave it a chance to knock off the defending Stanley Cup champion before quickly wasting it.
By the end of the period, Florida were back down by two goals, turning an early 2-0 hole into a 2-2 tie and then finally a 4-2 deficit after the Avalanche (28-19-4) scored two goals within six minutes of the Panthers tying the game.
In the end, Florida’s 65-second flurry — with goals by star defenseman Aaron Ekblad and center Sam Bennett — was its only stretch of sustained success.
When the Panthers fell behind 2-0 in the first 10 minutes, Colorado had an 8-3 advantage in shots, and ended the first with 11 scoring chances and eight high-danger chances. When it answered Florida’s push with two more goals in the final 11:30 of the second, the Avalanche outshot the Panthers, 13-7.
Star defenseman Devon Toews gave Colorado the lead for good when he scored on a rebound with 11:27 left in the second period and star center Nathan MacKinnon gave the Avalanche its extra-goal cushion for a 4-2 lead 5:28 later.
Barkov tried to spark a comeback when he scored with 8:57 remaining to cut Colorado’s lead to 4-3, but the Panthers couldn’t convert on a late power play — they finished 0 of 4 with the extra-man advantage after star defenseman Brandon Montour hit the post on the fourth one — and couldn’t complete the rally. This time, a two-goal lead was too much for Florida to overcome, just as it has been all year.
This story was originally published February 11, 2023 at 8:45 PM.
