Early look · NHL 2026-27

Florida Panthers at Colorado Avalanche: game preview

FloridaPanthers2026-27: 2-0-2 · 6 pts · 2025-26: 40-38-4 · 84 pts · 25that

ColoradoAvalanche2026-27: 2-0-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 55-16-11 · 121 pts · 1st

Puck drop27 Feb · 7:00 PM ET

VenueBall Arena

All-time meetings51 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Thirty-seven points apart last season

Florida finished last season 25th in the league on 84 points. Colorado finished 1st on 121.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 52

Across 51 completed games, Colorado lead the head-to-head 30-14-7.

All-time record30-14-7Colorado's record in the series

Meetings played51This is number 52

2025-26 series—

Last 53-2Colorado

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

4 Jan 2026COL 1 – FLA 2——FLA

11 Dec 2025FLA 2 – COL 6——COL

6 Jan 2025FLA 1 – COL 3——COL

23 Nov 2024COL 7 – FLA 4——COL

10 Feb 2024COL 0 – FLA 4——FLA

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateFloridaColorado

11 Dec 202515-13-2 · 32 pts21st22-2-7 · 51 pts1st

4 Jan 202622-16-3 · 47 pts12th31-3-7 · 69 pts1st

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 11 Dec 2025, Florida were 21st in the league and Colorado 1st. By 4 Jan 2026 it was 12th and 1st.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Colorado out-attempted Florida 133 to 101

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Florida Panthers

101 att · 50 on goal · 4 G · 8.0%

Crease5 att · 0 G

Slot47 att · 3 G

Wing34 att · 1 G

Point13 att · 0 G

Neutral zone2 att · 0 G

Colorado Avalanche

133 att · 70 on goal · 7 G · 10.0%

Crease9 att · 1 G

Slot55 att · 4 G

Wing39 att · 1 G

Point26 att · 1 G

Neutral zone4 att · 0 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Colorado have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

FloridaColorado

3.01xG for per game3.16

2.34xG against per game2.55

56.3%xG share55.4%

−4.0FinishingGoals minus expected goals+7.7

+1.4GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+0.1

This season: 4 games for Florida, 2 for Colorado. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →

Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Florida

Small sample

Power play · 2026-274.3%

Power play · 2025-2619.5% · 19th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2778.9%

Penalty kill · 2025-2681.0% · 9th

Faceoffs · 2026-2750.2% · 115/229

Drawn · 2026-2723 (5.75/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2719 (4.75/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Colorado

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2744.4%

Power play · 2025-2617.1% · 27th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-27100.0%

Penalty kill · 2025-2684.6% · 1st

Faceoffs · 2026-2746.8% · 58/124

Drawn · 2026-279 (4.50/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-276 (3.00/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Florida

Expected starter after their game on 26 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Colorado

Expected starter after their game on 25 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Florida crease

FLA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 24 Feb

Jacob Markstrom.9273 GP · 2-0-1 · GSAx +3.2

Akira Schmid.8751 GP · 0-0-1 · GSAx −1.0

No appearances against Colorado in the last meetings.

Colorado crease

COL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 24 Feb

Mackenzie Blackwood.9122 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx +0.1

No appearances against Florida in the last meetings.

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.2 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

4 Jan 20263 · COL 1–2 FLA

11 Dec 20258 · FLA 2–6 COL

6 Jan 20254 · FLA 1–3 COL

23 Nov 202411 · COL 7–4 FLA

10 Feb 20244 · COL 0–4 FLA

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA

Florida2.002.003.063.37

Colorado7.002.503.682.48

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.2Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings6.0Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

9 on the injury lists

Florida · injuries

Aaron EkbladPersonalOutReturn10 Oct

Aleksander BarkovLower BodyIRReturn27 Nov

Brad MarchandLegDay-to-dayReturn10 Oct

Jonah GadjovichUpper BodyIRReturn17 Oct

MacKenzie EntwistleUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct

Colorado · injuries

Georgii MerkulovUndisclosedIRReturn16 Oct

Logan O'ConnorLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct

Trent MinerUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct

Zachary L'HeureuxLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

3 Oct · FLA

Placed C Aleksander Barkov on long-term injured reserve. Called up D Alexander Petrovic from Charlotte (AHL).

3 Oct · FLA

Placed C Aleksander Barkov on long-term injured reserve.

27 Sep · FLA

Placed RW/C Cole Schwindt, RD Alexander Petrovic, LD Donovan Sebrango, LW Kai Schwindt, LW Cole Reinhardt, RW Sam Lafferty and C/LW John Beecher on waivers. Agreed to terms with RW Nathan Bastian on a 1-year, two-way contract.

27 Sep · COL

Placed LD Keaton Middleton, LD Wyatt Aamodt, RW/LW Fabian Lysell, C Vinnie Hinostroza, LW Adam Beckman and LW Tristen Nielsen on waivers.

27 Sep · COL

Placed D Keaton Middleton, D Wyatt Aamodt, LW Fabian Lysell, C Vinnie Hinostroza, LW Adam Beckman and G Mads Sogaard Nielsen on waivers.

25 Sep · COL

Reassigned Ds Domenick Fensore, Saige Weinstein and Christian Wolanin to Colorado (AHL).

Injury report

Florida · 2026 draft

See all: Florida · 2026 draft →

#40Simas IgnataviciusRound 2 · GeneveRW

#48Ryder CaliRound 2 · North BayC

#98Jonas KempsRound 4 · ChicagoD

#168Vilho VanhataloRound 6 · Tappara Jr.RW

Full draft

Colorado · 2026 draft

See all: Colorado · 2026 draft →

#43Egor ShilovRound 2 · VictoriavilleC

#74Beckett HamiltonRound 3 · Red DeerC

#126Tobias TvrznikRound 4 · WenatcheeG

#128Axel ElofssonRound 4 · Orebro Jr.D

Full draft

Saturday 27 February · the full slate

See all: Saturday 27 February · the full slate →

COLThis game 7:00 PM ET

Updated after every final

Florida Panthers at Colorado Avalanche: game preview

Thirty-seven points apart last season

Meeting number 52

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

Colorado out-attempted Florida 133 to 101

Florida Panthers

Colorado Avalanche

Colorado have created the better chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

Florida

Colorado

Skaters to watch

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

Who has stopped this matchup

Florida crease

Colorado crease

Scoring rates point to about 6.2 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

9 on the injury lists

Florida · injuries

Colorado · injuries

Latest moves

Florida · 2026 draft

Colorado · 2026 draft

Saturday 27 February · the full slate