SUNRISE, Fla. — The Colorado Avalanche defeated the Florida Panthers, 5-3, on the road Saturday afternoon. Here are three takeaways from the victory.

LOC slump buster

The drought is finally over. Forward Logan O’Connor — after failing to score in 38 consecutive games (dating back to November) — put the Avs ahead with a shorthanded goal early in the first period. A Florida turnover in the neutral zone was picked up by forward Andrew Cogliano. He led the rush and found O’Connor at the last moment for an easy tap-in at the net.

“Obviously, it’s tough in that situation,” O’Connor said. “You sort of grip your stick a little more. You overthink things. But it was definitely nice to get that. A great play there by (Cogliano), too.”

Logan O’Connor scores a shorthanded goal against the Florida Panthers to make it 1-0 #FLAvsCOL #TimeToHunt #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/R2C04RYQlQ

— nopClips (@nopClips) February 11, 2023

Johnson injured

Defenseman Erik Johnson was injured in the first period after blocking a puck with his skate. He appeared in significant pain, unable to put weight on his left leg, before heading down the tunnel. Johnson did not return. Adding insult to injury: Colorado placed defenseman Brad Hunt on waivers just a few hours before puck drop Saturday, with a possibility he is claimed on Sunday by another team.

Coach Jared Bednar did not have an immediate update on the severity of Johnson’s injury. Bednar said: “We’ll get home, evaluate him and see how he does in practice on Monday.” Johnson was in street clothes outside the Avs locker room following the game and was not wearing a boot.

E-Rod update

Evan Rodrigues played against Florida with several stitches in the left corner of his mouth. The Avalanche top-six forward suffered the injury late in Thursday night’s loss in Tampa Bay when he caught a puck to the face. Rodrigues quickly left the ice and headed into the training room.

“I was just trying to chip the puck up and it hit me in the face. Just had to get stitches,” Rodrigues told The Denver Gazette after morning skate in Sunrise. “It’s the second one I’ve got in the mouth.”

Rodrigues logged 18:26 of ice time against the Panthers with seven shots on goal.

Avalanche 5, Panthers 3

What happened: Colorado ended its three-game road swing on a high note with a resilient victory.

What went right: The Avalanche recorded a season-best 50 shots on goal. Forward Nathan Mackinnon racked up three points (two goals/assist). Colorado led 2-0 in the second period after forwards Logan O’Connor (shorthanded) and Matt Nieto scored. A Devon Toews goal in the second put the Avs ahead when Florida briefly tied the game. MacKinnon scored on a power play chance and an empty net. Colorado’s PK went 4-4 on the night.

What went wrong: Defenseman Erik Johnson left the first period with a lower-body injury and was ruled out for return. Florida scored twice in the second period (Aaron Ekblad and Sam Bennett) within a span of about minute to tie things up. Aleksander Barkov added a third period goal to set up a tense Colorado finish.

Between the pipes: Alexandar Georgiev made 42-of-45 saves on the night. He got better as the game went on, especially on a late Panthers’ power play and six-on-five chance. Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 45 of the Avalanche’s 50 shots on goal.

Injury update: Defenseman Cale Makar (concussion) is progressing toward a return while away from the team in Denver. Bednar told The Denver Gazette: “(Makar) skated yesterday and he’s feeling a little bit better, for sure. He’s going to skate today and workout today. We’ll keep evaluating him … and see when he’s good to go.” The team is hopeful Makar is available over the next two games but with no guarantees, Bednar added.

What’s next: The Avalanche (28-19-4) face the Tampa Bay Lightning, 7 p.m. Tuesday (Altitude TV) at Ball Arena.