• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Hejduk helps Avalanche top Panthers

Jan 14, 2008 - 2:07 AM By Michael Snyder PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SUNRISE, Florida (Ticker) - Milan Hejduk helped the Colorado Avalanche continue their mastery over the Florida Panthers.

After goaltender Jose Theodore stopped all three shots in the shootout, Hejduk scored in the third round of the bonus format as the Avalanche defeated the Panthers, 4-3, on Sunday.

The Panthers have now lost nine straight to the Avalanche and have not beaten the Colorado franchise at home since April 22, 1995 at Miami Arena, when they were the Quebec Nordiques. The Panthers were also swept by the Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Finals in 1996.

"You just have to cut down any angle and limit the amount of space they have to shoot at," said Theodore, who stopped 30 shots. "I think it was a matter of cutting down the opportunity and forcing them into shots they might not want to take."

Andrew Brunette had a pair of goals for Colorado, including one that gave it a 3-2 lead just over eight minutes into the third period. He narrowly missed a hat trick a few minutes later.

"I knew it was going to be touch and go - there were a lot of sticks in the area - but sometimes when you get a couple, you get a little hot streak going," Brunette said. "It would have been nice to get (the hat trick), but oh well, we won the game."

Florida captain Olli Jokinen leveled the game over three minutes later with a shot from the right point which beat Theodore. But Jokinen shot wide in the shootout and Hejduk followed with the game-winner.

"The toughest shot for a goalie is on a blocker and he (Hejduk) put it in," All-Star goalie Tomas Vokoun said. "He took a good shot - and it went in."

Marek Svatos' team-leading 20th goal put Colorado up 2-1 at 12:53 of the second. Svatos corralled the rebound of a shot by Jeff Finger, and beat Vokoun for a power-play tally.

"We've really been playing well the last two games," said Svatos, who has three goals in the last two days. "We kept the puck in their end and had a lot of opportunities - and fortunately a few went in for us."

Just 2:06 later, the Panthers tied the game at 2-2 on David Booth's 12th goal of the season. From behind the net, Horton fed Booth, who one-timed it over Theodore's left shoulder.

It was Booth's second goal in as many nights.

The Avalanche, playing their first game in Sunrise since a 6-5 win on January 21, 2004, opened the scoring on Brunette's goal 3:20 into the game.

The Panthers, who haven't won at home since December 20, tied the game after defenseman Jay Bouwmeester recorded his seventh goal of the season.

"We missed on some chances late in the game," Florida coach Jacques Martin said. "It was just one of those games that was decided in the shootout. We missed our three and they got one in. I guess today was not our turn."