Avs, who have lost three straight games, will have a difficult task against the Panthers…

Avs, who have lost three straight games, will have a difficult task against the Panthers…

The Colorado Avalanche’s road trip has been quite difficult so far, and things might become significantly worse this weekend.

The Avalanche, who are tied for the worst losing streak of the season with three straight losses, will be hosting the scorching Florida Panthers on Saturday.

Florida defeated the Washington Capitals 4-2 on Thursday to extend their winning streak to 6 games.

Colorado, who plays the Panthers in its final three games of this tour, was defeated 5-2 on Thursday by the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Colorado coach, Jared Bednar, stated, “We were under duress the entire game.”

However, it goes beyond the Carolina match. Throughout the whole road trip, Colorado’s power play has vanished, going 0-for-12.Colorado’s defense, which has given up 10 goals in their last two games, is another problem.

Colorado lost 5-3 to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, with backup goalkeeper Justus Annunen taking the loss. In just six professional games, he has a 3-2-1 record and a 3.97 goals-against average.

For the first time in his career, starter Alexandar Georgiev—an All-Star this year—lost on Thursday.

Georgiev has a 2.91 GAA and a 27-12-3 record for the season.

Leading the Avalanche offensively is 28-year-old Nathan MacKinnon, who has previously been an All-Star seven times and is a major factor in Colorado’s Stanley Cup victory in 2022.McKinnon is Colorado’s top scorer this season with 32 goals, 53 assists, and 32 power-play points.

Another star on the Avalanche is defenseman Cale Makar, who is third in points (60) and second in assists (47). At the age of 25, he has already taken home the Stanley Cup, the MVP of the 2022 playoffs (Conn Smythe), the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year, and the Norris award as the best defenseman in the league.

Other Colorado standouts include defenseman Devon Toews, who is fourth on the club with 21 assists, and winger Mikko Rantanen, who is second on the team with 67 points.

The Panthers, meanwhile, are now dominating the defensive position, keeping six straight teams to two goals or fewer.

Defenseman Aaron Ekblad of the Panthers stated, “We swarm.” “We have several guys that can do fantastic things in the D-zone, staying between the ball and the net, and we play that man-on-man style.”

Sam Reinhart of Florida is the second-leading goal scorer in the NHL with 38 goals. He also has the most power-play goals in the league with 21.

With 37 assists apiece, Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov are tied for the team lead.Carter Verhaeghe, who is second on the team in goals (25) and third in points (52) completes Florida’s offensive “Big Four.”

Florida’s defensive star, Sergei Bobrovsky, leads goalies in the Eastern Conference in victories. His GAA is 2.49 and he is 24-10-2.

Bobrovsky hadn’t participated in an NHL game since January 26 due in part to the All-Star break, and he admitted to feeling rusty during Thursday’s victory over the Capitals.

“I felt like I hadn’t played in a month,” said the three-time starter Bobrovsky. “Having to take a lot of photos at first was beneficial. But winning was even more satisfying.”