Sunrise, FL (Sports Network) - Milan Hejduk scored the lone goal of the shootout and added an assist in regulation as the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Florida Panthers, 4-3, at BankAtlantic Center.

Hejduk, who was the final shooter of the third round, beat Tomas Vokoun with a quick wrist shot low to the stick side to give the Avalanche the extra point.

"He just came and the toughest shot for a goalie is the blocker and he put it in," Vokoun said of the game-winner. "Took a good shot and it went in and that was about it."

Andrew Brunette scored twice, while Marek Svatos tallied in regulation for Colorado, which has won two straight and three of its last five.

Jose Theodore stopped 30-of-33 shots for the Avalanche.

"They send everything at the net with a lot of traffic," Theodore said of the Panthers' style of offense. "A lot of times I didn't see it and the puck went wide and sometimes I made some saves I never saw. The last (two) goals I just didn't see. That's the way they play."

Jay Bouwmeester, David Booth and Olli Jokinen tallied for the Panthers, who have dropped two in a row and seven of their last nine games.

Vokoun made 37 saves for Florida.

With the game tied at 2-2 after two periods, both teams came out in the third playing cautious, but the Avalanche reclaimed the lead 8:11 into the stanza. Jordan Leopold's wrist shot off a nice pass from Hejduk went wide of the net, but Brunette's turnaround wrister from a bad angle just above the goal line on the right side, put Colorado up 3-2.

Jokinen's slap shot from the top of the right circle a little over three minutes later re-tied the contest.

Neither team could muster a goal in the remainder of the third or in overtime and the game went to the shootout.

Colorado tallied the first goal of the contest on a great short-handed solo effort by Brunette 3:20 into the opening frame. The left winger took control of the puck from behind the Panthers net, fought his way in front and chopped a backhander past Vokoun to give that Avs the early advantage.

The Panthers managed to tie the game with 5:08 left in the stanza while on the power play. With Ben Guite in the box serving a hooking infraction, Bouwmeester's soft wrist shot from the middle point made its way through several defenders and beat Theodore low to the glove side to make it a 1-1 game. Both teams came out playing chippy hockey in the period which featured a pair of fights.

Svatos' power play marker with 7:07 left in the second gave Colorado a brief one-goal edge, but Booth tied the contest 2:06 later on a wrist shot from the low left circle that got over the left shoulder of Vokoun to even the contest at 2-2.