FLA-vs-COL-16x9-RECAP

SUNRISE, Fla. – With the power play clicking and Sergei Bobrovsky not giving up an inch, the Florida Panthers beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-0 at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday.

Earning the 41st shutout of his career, Bobrovsky stopped all 35 shots he faced.

“You try to stay with the moment, one shot at a time, and then what happens,” Bobrovsky said of holding on for the shutout. “You never know. The guys in the NHL are so good and in one moment anything can happen. I’m really happy. I thought the guys did a great job in front of me."

As the final seconds ticked away, “Bob-by! Bob-by!” chants echoed through the arena.

“It’s definitely a great feeling,” smiled Bobrovsky, who now sits at 24-10-2. “I appreciate that support, appreciate the cheering. It’s great for me, but the team made me a star.”

Sweeping their two-game season series with the Avalanche (32-17-4), the Panthers (33-15-4) now trail the Boston Bruins (32-11-9) by just three points for first in the Atlantic Division.

If tonight’s game was a measuring stick, they passed with flying colors.

“The whole 60 minutes, we played pretty solid,” Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. “I think what was impressive was that at the end it was 4-0 and we were still making the right plays. We didn’t try to score the fifth goal. We didn’t try to cheat or anything.”

With the Avalanche pressing early in the first period, Sergei Bobrovsky stood tall for the Panthers. His biggest stop came moments after a power play had expired for Colorado when he denied Ryan Johansen on a shot from the doorstep to keep the game scoreless.

On the power play, the Panthers broke the ice when Carter Verhaeghe grabbed his own rebound in the paint and sent the puck past Alexander Georgiev to make it 1-0 at 10:19.

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      Verhaeghe's power-play goal gives Florida the lead.

      Second on the Cats with 26 goals, Verhaeghe has scored in two of his last three games.

      Back on the power play later in the period, the Panthers struck again when Sam Reinhart – who else? – teed up a pass from Matthew Tkachuk and tucked a one-timer into the top right corner of the cage from the slot to make it 2-0 at 16:56 with his 39th goal of the campaign.

      Putting forth a dominant effort at 5-on-5 in the second period, the Panthers padded their lead when Eetu Luostarinen, who had his initial tip stopped by Georgiev, dove to his left and launched his own rebound into the back of the cage from the slot to make it 3-0 at 17:52.

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          Luostarinen's goal extends the lead to 3-0.

          In the period, the Panthers led 26-8 in shots on goal.

          “The second period was a really good set-up period for us,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said of the masterful middle frame. “We had some good physicality, good zone time. That wears defenses down, so it limits their ability to push in the third. It was good.”

          As it was in the second, most of the pushing was done by the Panthers in the third.

          Finding the back of the net after piling up the assists in recent weeks, Barkov added another goal when he swiped the puck in the offensive zone, carried it through the slot and lifted it over Georgiev to increase the lead to 4-0 at 9:20.

          “It feels good,” Barkov said. “It’s been a while. It’s all about working hard.”

          A dominant win, Florida controlled 65.55% of expected goals at 5-on-5.

          “I think was a great team win,” Luostarinen said. “Everybody did their job.”

          THEY SAID IT

          “You know how good their top guys are. You’re trying to stay focused, you’re trying to play one moment at a time and see what happens.” -- Sergei Bobrovsky

          “I thought we did a good job. I thought our last two games in the second in the third period we did not come off the puck. We didn’t sit on it. We made smart decisions. We didn’t force some offense that might’ve got us to five. I didn’t think we sat back or came off it.” -- Paul Maurice

          “It doesn’t matter who scores the goals as long as we win and as long as we play the right way.” -- Aleksander Barkov

          CATS STATS

          - Paul Maurice earned his 850th career win as a head coach, surpassing Ken Hitchcock (849) for sole possession of fifth place on the NHL’s all-time list.

          - The Panthers have scored multiple power play goals in 10 games this season.

          - Aleksander Barkov has hit the 50-point mark for the ninth straight season.

          - Sergei Bobrovsky’s 41 career shutouts are the third-most among active NHL goalies.

          - Florida led 21-9 in scoring chances in the second period.

          - Jonah Gadjovich recorded a team-high five hits.

          - Sam Bennett blocked a team-high three shots.

          - The Panthers scored 12 goals in two games against Colorado this season.

          WHAT’S NEXT?

          It’s time to get back on the road.

          With three games away from home on the docket next week, the Panthers will kick things off against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.