Devon Toews’ three-point night leads Avalanche past defending-champion Panthers

The Colorado Avalanche began the season with a dud against a recent Stanley Cup champion — the Vegas Golden Knights.

But the Avs looked like a completely different club Monday night, completing the first half of the regular season with a statement effort against the defending champion Florida Panthers. Devon Toews scored twice, Mackenzie Blackwood made 26 saves and the Avalanche scratched out its 25th win in 41 games, a 3-1 victory at Ball Arena.

“(We’ve come) a long ways,” Toews said. “Moving pieces in and out of the lineup, but we’ve stuck with it. We’ve felt like we had our game at different points this year, just not consistently enough. In the last 10-15 games, we’ve had it more consistently.

“You’re going to carve out more wins and more points when you do that.”

Colorado started this season 0-4, including an 8-4 loss to Vegas on opening night, and the Avs were 14-13 at one point. But they have flourished since swapping out both of the goalies in a pair of trades 10 days apart and finished the first half on an 11-2-1 run.

Toews scored his second goal of the night from almost the same spot in the offensive zone. Shortly after a strong power play, Ross Colton fed Toews at the top of the zone and he beat Sergei Bobrovsky for the second time with a wrist shot from long range.

It was Toews’ fifth goal of the season. Four of them have come in the past four contests, with Monday night the second multi-goal game of Toews’ career. His first came May 8, 2021, for the Avalanche against the Los Angeles Kings.

Mikko Rantanen added an empty-net goal for his team-leading 24th tally of the season. Toews had an assist to complete a three-point night. Nathan MacKinnon had the other helper to push his NHL-leading point total to 66.

Unlike the Avs’ 2-1 shootout loss two nights earlier to the Montreal Canadiens, this game had plenty of high-end scoring chances. It took a while, but the Panthers made Blackwood work in the second half of this contest. Bobrovsky was stout throughout.

“If we go down early, I know if I do my job we’re still going to be in the game no matter what,” Blackwood said. Every night, we’re playing so well, so offensively talented. Not every single night is going to be the case, but most of the time if you do your job, they’re going to come out with the win.”

Florida didn’t have many chances in the first period, but Carter Verhaeghe made the Panthers’ best one count at 15:57. Anton Lundell and Jesper Boqvist won a battle along the right wall at center ice, and the puck squirted free to Verhaeghe.