The Panthers completed a stretch of opening the 2026-27 regular season playing six of their first seven games on the road. They now have a 3-1-2 record away from South Florida.
Columbus(2-3-0) raced out to a 1-0 advantage with 5:49 remaining in the first period. Sandis Vilmanis lost the puck and turned it over at the top of the Cats zone. Kent Johnson put in an unassisted goal as he sprinted through the middle and took a wrist shot from the low slot by Akira Schmid. It was the third tally for Johnson this year.
In the second period, the Panthers tied it up 1-1 at the 2:27 mark. Matthew Tkachuk caught a clearing pass in the right circle and pushed a square pass from the top right circle. Brady Tkachuk released a wrist shot from the high slot past Cam Talbot for his first goal in a Panthers jersey. Matthew Tkachuk increased his point streak to six games.
It was the first time that both brothers appeared together in a scoring sequence with Florida. They did it numerous times when both played for the United States National Team at the 2026 Winter Olympics, where they both captured gold medals.
Florida(3-2-2) leaped to the lead 2-1 at 6:00 with the man advantage. Jones angled a pass from the high slot and Matthew Tkachuk centered the puck from the low right circle. Brady Tkachuk placed in a forehand shot from the low slot for his second goal of the contest and second goal of the season.
The Cats extended their lead to 3-1 on another power-play goal with 9:30 left in the second. Matthew Tkachuk zipped a pass from the right-circle dot and Sam Reinhart fired a one-time shot from the slot area which was wide right. It caromed off the end wall and Brady Tkachuk scored on a wrist shot from the left side of the crease for the natural hat trick and his third goal in 2026-27.
It became 4-1 for the Panthers on the power play with 2:10 to go in the frame. Matthew Tkachuk tapped the puck in the right corner and Brady Tkachuk connected a cross-ice pass from the low right circle. Carter Verhaeghe snapped a shot from below the low circle for his second goal this season.
Florida made it 5-1 at the 1:20 mark of the third period with their fourth power-play tally in the game. Jones sent a diagonal pass from the top of the zone. Matthew Tkachuk rifled a shot from the top of the zone and Reinhart deflected it in from the crease area for his third goal of the year.
The Panthers expanded their lead to 6-1 at 3:28. Jones passed the puck from the right point. Lars Eller skated with it up the right-wing wall to the right point and sent a backhand pass from the right point. Verhaeghe curled around the top of the zone and marked down his second goal of the game and third goal this season on a snap shot from above the left circle.
The Blue Jackets had two goals later in the third to make it 6-3. Denton Mateychuk collected his first goal this year with 6:13 left and Cole Sillinger scored his third goal this season with 5:51 remaining.
Columbus pulled their goalie for an extra attacker with over five minutes to go in the period. The Cats led 7-3 with 2:17 left in the final period. Jones cycled the puck from behind his own cage and Anton Lundell released a diagonal cross-ice pass in the Florida zone. Reinhart carried it beyond the Panthers blue line and scored into an empty net for his second goal in the contest and fourth goal in 2026-27. Reinhart tied Aleksander Barkov in Panthers franchise history with 33 multi-goal games.
Jones tied a career-high with four assists and four points in a game on that play. He did it facing his former club the Blue Jackets.
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