Takeaways: Colorado Avalanche 3, Florida Panthers 1

The Florida Panthers opened their two-game road trip with a 3-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche without Niko Mikkola and Aaron Ekblad in the lineup.

The Florida Panthers put up a valiant effort against the Colorado Avalanche without two of their three best defensmen but fell just short, falling 3-1 on Monday night.

Florida held the lead late in the second period, but a pair of goals from Devon Toews did them in.

Toews scored the go-ahead goal with 11:06 to go in the third period on a point shot that snuck through traffic.

Carter Verhaeghe opened the scoring with 4:03 to go in the first period, snapping an eight-game goal drought on a give-and-go play with Anton Lundell.

The Panthers were being outshot 10-3 to that point and failed to parlay that goal into any sustained offensive pressure in the second period.

Toews tied the game up with 2:42 to go in the second period, sneaking a wrist shot through traffic that deflected off the cross bar, off Sergei Bobrovsky and in.

Bobrovsky came up with 31 saves to help keep the Panthers afloat, including 14 in the third period, but Toews beat him once more near the midway point and Florida’s offense could not answer it.

Mikko Rantanen scored the empty-net goal with 1:57 to go to salt the game away.

The Panthers head into the midway point of the season at 24-15-4, which is good for second place in the Atlantic Division.

Here are three takeaways from Monday night’s game: