Columbus 6, Florida 3
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, February 24, 2022
Where: FLA Live Arena, Sunrise, Florida
Referees:
Steve Kozari, Kelly Sutherland
Linesmen:
David Brisebois, Michel Cormier
Attendance:
15730
By Field Level Media
Patrik Laine extended his points streak to 11 games and Boone Jenner had the go-ahead tally as the Columbus Blue Jackets stunned the host Florida Panthers 6-3 on Thursday night in Sunrise, Fla.
Florida still leads the NHL in home wins (23-5-0), and the Panthers rank No. 1 in the NHL in goals scored. However, they have lost two straight home games.
Columbus won its fourth straight game and beat the Panthers for the first time in nine tries. Columbus is 9-2-0 in its past 11 contests.
Gabriel Carlsson, Cole Sillinger, Justin Danforth and Oliver Bjorkstrand (empty-netter) added third-period goals for Columbus.
Neither starting goalie on Thursday was with his team when the season started.
Jean-Francois Berube, in just his third game with Columbus, made 39 saves to earn the win. He is 3-0-0 in his first NHL games since 2017-2018.
MacKenzie Weegar, Jonathan Huberdeau and Sam Bennett scored for the Panthers. Huberdeau, who entered the game leading the NHL in points, added an assist.
Florida rested Sergei Bobrovsky, giving goalie Jonas Johansson the start in his Panthers debut. Claimed on waivers in December, Johansson made 22 saves.
Florida opened the scoring with 8:33 expired in the first period. Aleksander Barkov flipped a cross-ice pass to Weegar, who tapped the puck into the open left side of the net.
With 15:05 gone in the first, Columbus tied the score as Jakub Voracek threaded a pass to Laine, who beat Bobrovsky's glove to finish a two-on-one rush.
Columbus took its first lead of the game, 2-1, on Jenner's deflection of Vladislav Gavrikov's shot with 9:32 elapsed in the second.
The Jackets stretched their lead to 3-1 on Carlsson's goal with 16:48 left in the game. Bjorkstrand set up the play by winning a board battle and then skating behind the net before dishing to Carlsson, whose shot trickled in off Johansson.
Florida cut its deficit to 3-2 on Huberdeau's goal with 13:08 remaining. Huberdeau took a drop pass from Mason Marchment and then deked Berube.
It then looked like Florida was poised to tie the score after Voracek's cross-check penalty gave the Panthers a power play.
But Columbus killed off that penalty and got two goals -- by Sillinger and Danforth -- within 10 seconds, virtually clinching the game with 10:03 left.
The Panthers then pulled Johansson for an extra attacker, which resulted in Bennett's goal but also Bjorkstrand's empty-netter.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Columbus |
|
Florida |
|
Oliver Bjorkstrand 2 |
Points |
Jonathan Huberdeau 2 |
|
Oliver Bjorkstrand 1 |
Goals |
Jonathan Huberdeau 1 |
|
Jack Roslovic 2 |
Assists |
Aleksander Barkov 2 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
J-F Berube .929 |
Save Percentage |
Jonas Johansson .815 |
|
J-F Berube 39 |
Saves |
Jonas Johansson 22 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Columbus
|
28 |
6 |
0-2 |
4-4 |
8 |
26 |
| Florida
|
42 |
3 |
0-4 |
2-2 |
4 |
33 |
Upcoming Games
-
Florida will play their next game at home against Edmonton. The Panthers have a W/L % of .714 after a win and .588 after a loss.
-
Columbus will play their next game on the road against Carolina. The Blue Jackets have a W/L % of .462 after a win and .600 after a loss.
For more information, contact us