Panthers Ease By Blue Jackets

     The Florida Panthers knocked off the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday night. The Panthers concluded their four-game road trip with a 2-2-0 record. 

     It was the Blue Jackets home opener and they had a special pregame ceremony. There was a remembrance of Columbus center Johnny Gaudreau, who lost his life during the summer along with his brother Matthew while bicycling in southern New Jersey and getting hit by a car.  Florida Panthers forwards Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett were teammates of Gaudreau when they played together with the Calgary Flames. 

     Columbus(1-2-0) waited until 41 seconds into the second period to lead 1-0 on a shorthanded goal. Kent Johnson backhanded a long lead pass from his own defensive zone. Cole Sillinger collected it at the Panthers blue line, skated down the middle of the ice and snapped a shot from the high slot by Spencer Knight for his first goal this season. 

     Florida(3-2-0) evened it up 1-1 with 9:35 remaining in the second. Nate Schmidt flipped a pass from the left wing. Sam Reinhart trapped it in the inner left circle and tapped it ahead. Anton Lundell placed in a forehand shot from the low left circle for his third goal in the last two games. 

     The Blue Jackets answered back quickly with 8:38 to go and regained the lead 2-1. Sean Monahan scored on a wrist shot from the right of the crease following up his original shot for his second tally of the campaign. 

     The Panthers tied it 2-2 just 37 seconds later. Lundell passed from the left corner and Niko Mikkola had his shot from the left point blocked. Dmitry Kulikov one-timed a slap shot from the right point past Elvis Merzlikins for his first goal of the year. 

     The Cats moved ahead 3-2 with 1.6 seconds left in the second. Sam Bennett passed it from behind the net and Carter Verhaeghe tapped it from the right goal line. Reinhart put in a wrist shot from the top of the crease for his third goal in the past two games and fourth goal of the season.

     In the third period, Florida increased their lead to 4-2 with 4:48 remaining. Eetu Luostarinen scored on a rising snap shot from the low slot for his second goal of the 2024-25 campaign. Reinhart and Mikkola were credited with assists on the play. 

     CBJ pulled their goalie for an extra skater and closed it to 4-3 with 2:39 to go in the period. Damon Severson sent a centering pass from the left circle and James van Riemsdyk tapped it in from the crease area for his first goal with his new team.