Fresh off shootout win, Panthers begin latest road trip in Colorado

david dwork

Mon, Jan 6, 2025, 7:00 a.m.·2 min read

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.

The Avs have been playing some strong hockey of late, with points in seven straight (6-0-1) and wins in 10 of their past 13.

They are led by elite forwards Nathan MacKinnon and Miko Rantanen, as well as high end defender Cale Makar.

MacKinnon enters play Monday leading the NHL in scoring with 65 points in 40 games while Rantanen is tied for second in the league with 23 goals and third in points with 57.

Then there is Makar, who is well on his way to another Norris Trophy, leading all defensemen in scoring with 13 goals and 49 points.

Speaking of rearguards, Florida is hoping to have a pair of ailing blueliners in the lineup against the high-flying Avalanche.

Niko Mikkola has missed each of the Panthers past two games due to an upper-body injury while Aaron Ekblad is nursing an injury that he either suffered or aggravated during Friday’s win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Ekblad did not practice on Sunday in Fort Lauderdale, but Mikkola did.

Afterward, Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said he is hopeful that both will be able to play but that they would be reevaluated after Florida’s morning skate in Denver.

Here are Florida’s projected lines and pairings ahead of Monday’s matchup with the Avs:

Evan Rodrigues – Sasha Barkov – Sam Reinhart

Eetu Luostarinen – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk

Carter Verhaeghe – Anton Lundell – Jesper Boqvist

A.J. Greer – Tomas Nosek – Mackie Samoskevich

Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola – Dmitry Kulikov

Nate Schmidt – Uvis Balinskis

Scratches: Jonah Gadjovich, Adam Boqvist

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