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Alex Tanguay will play tonight for the first time since Nov. 2 when the Avalanche faces the Florida Panthers to open a three-game road trip, but John Mitchell won't join the team until Saturday in Tampa because of illness and he isn't expected to play until Monday in Dallas.

Tanguay's return comes one game after PA Parenteau came back from his knee injury, giving the Avalanche two valuable forwards and a lot more depth.

"We've gone through a rough patch with injuries and we've still managed to play some pretty good hockey and managed to pull out some wins," captain Gabriel Landeskog said. "Getting these guys back gives us even more offensive power. They're certainly going to help us on the power play and to spread the scoring a little bit as well. They're pretty hungry and eager to get back.

"I've been joking with PA and Alex that they better not come in a ruin it now. Certainly we're excited to have them back. They're two quality players and two offensively-gifted players. They can hold onto the puck and make plays. That's something you can never have too much of."

Coach Patrick Roy will put Tanguay on a line with Landeskog and Paul Stastny, who were his linemates when he hurt his knee and hip Nov. 2 against Montreal. Tanguay also will be used on the power play. Roy plans to give him the night off Saturday when the Avalanche plays the Lightning. He'll return Monday in Dallas.

Parenteau will skate on the third line with Max Talbot and Nathan MacKinnon, who will be back in the middle. Matt Duchene will center a line with Ryan O'Reilly and Jamie McGinn.

"We've had a lot of guys step up in their absence, but it's nice to have those two back," Duchene said of Tanguay and Parenteau. "They'll really help the power play. They can score and make plays. They're two of the best playmakers in the league and you're going to see guys start scoring more goals playing with those guys. Guys like that can really help guys around them."

Defenseman Nate Guenin has been activated after missing eight games with an ankle injury, but he won't play tonight. Defenseman Cory Sarich is on injured reserve with a back injury and might be available before the NHL shuts down after the first week of February for the Olympics.

*****

The Panthers have gone 17-14-3 since Peter Horachek replaced Kevin Dineen as head coach Nov. 8, 13-7-2 since Dec. 5 and are 6-3-2 in their past 11 games. Goalie Tim Thomas has gone 7-3-2 in his past 12 games. He made 32 saves Nov. 16 when the Panthers defeated the Avalanche 4-1 at the Pepsi Center.

Rookie forward Aleksander Barkov won't play after sustaining a lower-body injury Tuesday in the Panthers' 4-3 win against Buffalo. Barkov, who was taken with the second pick in the 2013 NHL draft after the Avalanche tabbed MacKinnon (17 goals, 16 assists), has eight goals and 16 assists in 50 games.

"I watched a bit of their games lately and they're playing really well," Roy said. "This is a team that's playing with more confidence right now and they're trying to get back into the playoff race."

The Panthers are 10-10-4 at home, while the Avalanche is 14-6-2 on the road.

"We've been an excellent road team," Duchene said. "Patty and I were talking about that. We're comfortable on the road, we play well on the road. We don't change on the road, I think that's the biggest thing. There's teams that play differently at home and on the road, and I've never understood that. Except for last change, there's really no difference. That can be big for matchups, but it shouldn't change the way you play as an individual."

The Avalanche lineup for tonight:

FORWARDS
Ryan O'Reilly -- Matt Duchene -- Jamie McGinn
Gabriel Landeskog -- Paul Stastny -- Alex Tanguay
Max Talbot -- Nathan MacKinnon -- PA Parenteau
Cody McLeod -- Marc-Andre Cliche -- Patrick Bordeleau

DEFENSE
Jan Hejda -- Erik Johnson
Andre Benoit -- Nick Holden
Ryan Wilson -- Tyson Barrie

GOALIES
Semyon Varlamov
Jean-Sebastien Giguere

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