Sam Reinhart scores 3 more goals as the streaking Florida Panthers beat the Colorado Avalanche 8-4

Sat, Jan 6, 2024
NHL News (AP)

DENVER (AP) - Sam Reinhart scored three times for his seventh career hat trick, and the surging Florida Panthers beat the Colorado Avalanche 8-4 on Saturday for their seventh straight win.

Reinhart has 10 goals during Florida's win streak, including three multigoal games. Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves for his sixth straight win during the streak.

Aleksander Barkov had four assists in his 700th NHL game for Florida. Carter Verhaeghe had two goals and an assist, and Matthew Tkachuk had a goal and two assists. Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Kevin Stenlund also scored.

The Panthers led 3-0 and 4-3, but Colorado rallied each time. Jonathan Drouin tied it at 4 with his ninth of the season 3:31 into the third.

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Ross Colton then took a double minor for high sticking, Logan O'Connor went off for delay of game 25 seconds later, and Reinhart completed his hat trick when he scored his 28th of the season at 5:59.

Stenlund made it 6-4 with his seventh 8:59 into the final period.

Colorado rallied from multigoal deficits to win in overtime in the previous two games, but it couldn't pull off the same feat against Florida. Cale Makar and Valeri Nichushkin each had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche. Josh Manson also scored and Nathan MacKinnon had an assist to extend his home point streak to 21 games to start the season.

Colorado goalie Alexandar Georgiev had 12 saves in relief of Ivan Prosvetov.

The Panthers scored three times on four shots against Prosvetov in the first 7:41 of the first period. Verhaeghe scored his 21st just 1:10 into the game, and Reinhart had two goals 4:39 apart.

Makar and Manson responded for Colorado in the first 52 seconds of the second. Nichushkin tied it at 3 when deflected Makar's shot from the point at 4:35.

Ekman-Larsson put Florida back in front with his eighth goal of the season at 8:50 of the second. That ended Prosvetov's day after he allowed four goals on 13 shots.

The Avalanche played without defenseman Bowen Byram because of a lower-body injury.

UP NEXT

Panthers: Wrap up a four-game road trip at St. Louis on Tuesday night.

Avalanche: Host the Boston Bruins on Monday night.

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