Colorado showed resilience in the second period but fell short in their loss to the Florida Panthers.

Despite four goals scored and three players with multi-point games, the Colorado Avalanche fell to the Florida Panthers 8-4 Saturday afternoon. 

First period

Colorado lacked intensity in the first and Florida capitalized on it. The Panthers scored three goals on their first four shots — Carter Verhaeghe a minute and change into the game, Sam Reinhart's first was three minutes in and his second at 12:19. 

The Avalanche were held scoreless on a four-minute power play for a high-sticking call against Aleksander Barkov. 

Joel Kiviranta was assessed a cross-checking penalty 16:59 into the period but the Cats didn't score. All three goals were full strength. 

The period ended with the Cats up 3-0 and the Avalanche only two shots on goal behind them. 

Second period 

Cale Makar scored 21 seconds into the period — the fastest to start a period by an Avs player this season. Nathan MacKinnon assisted on the goal which extended his home point streak to 21 games. 

Josh Manson scored 31 seconds later. He shot the puck to the net, Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky bobbled it and it slid past him to the back of the net. 

Valeri Nichushkin earned his second point of the game with a tip-in goal at 15:25 off a shot from Makar. It was goal No. 20 for Nichushkin, earning his second career 20-goal season. 

Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored a soft gaol on Ivan Prosvetov, which prompted a change in net. Alexandar Georgiev relieved him and made fours saves to finish the period. 

The Avs had twice as many SOG then the Cats but the period ended with Florida up by one. 

Third period

Jonathan Drouin gave some life to his team with a breakaway goal to tie the game but the Avalanche couldn't finish the comeback. 

Ross Colton was assessed a double minor for high sticking Evan Rodrigues at 4:47 and while serving his time, Logan O'Connor got a delay of game penalty at 5:13. During the two-man advantage, Reinhart scored his third goal of the game — which ended up being the game winner. 

Kevin Stenlund managed to grab the puck off the draw in the D-zone and shot it past Georgiev, putting the Cats up by two at 11:01.  

While Georgiev was exiting the ice to give the Avs a man-advantage, Matthew Tkachuk shot the puck from center ice into an empty net to make it 7-4. 

Less than a minute later, Carter Verhaeghe netted his second of the day into an empty net with just 3:06 to go to make the final 8-4. The Cats outshot the Avs in the final frame 12-4.

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