Florida 4, Columbus 3
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Referees:
Cody Beach, Trevor Hanson
Linesmen:
Ryan Daisy, Jesse Marquis
Attendance:
18484
By Field Level Media
Sam Reinhart scored one goal and had two assists as the Florida Panthers defeated the Blue Jackets 4-3 in an emotional home opener for Columbus on Tuesday night.
Florida also got goals from Anton Lundell, Dmitry Kulikov and Eetu Luostarinen and 35 saves from Spencer Knight, who recorded his first NHL victory since Jan. 3, 2023.
The Panthers played their third straight game without two top forwards: Aleksander Barkov (lower-body injury) and Matthew Tkachuk (illness).
Florida has won 14 of its past 16 games -- including six in a row -- against the Blue Jackets.
Columbus got goals from Cole Sillinger, Sean Monahan and James van Riemsdyk.
Also for Columbus: Elvis Merzlikins posted 18 saves, and defenseman Zach Werenski had a tough game, hitting two posts and getting stopped by Knight on a breakaway.
The game started with 19:47 left in the first period. Those elapsed 13 seconds were in honor of Johnny Gaudreau, who wore No. 13 in his stellar NHL career for the Calgary Flames and then Columbus.
Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were riding bikes when they were killed on Aug. 29 by a suspected drunk driver.
On Tuesday, the Blue Jackets raised Johnny Gaudreau's No. 13 jersey to the rafters as fans chanted "Johnny Hockey!"
All Blue Jackets players wore No. 13 during warmups, and a video tribute was played, including an old interview with Johnny, who said his father put him on the ice when he was "two or three days old."
Once the game started, the Blue Jackets opened with just two forwards, leaving Gaudreau's wing spot open for the first shift.
After a scoreless opening period, Columbus opened the scoring 41 seconds into the second when Sillinger scored on a short-handed breakaway. Kent Johnson delivered the backhand pass that sprung Sillinger, who scored top shelf, off Knight's left shoulder.
Florida tied the score with 9:35 left in the second. The play started when the Panthers won a puck battle along the left boards. The puck flipped up to Reinhart, who artfully slipped it to Lundell for a one-timer at close range.
Columbus went back ahead, 2-1, with 8:38 remaining in the second, as Monahan stuffed in a rebound.
Florida tied the score 37 seconds later when Kulikov's shot from the point deflected in off Reinhart's left hip.
With just two seconds left in the second, Reinhart scored to give Florida a 3-2 lead.
Luostarinen scored top shelf with 4:48 left in the third to make it 4-2.
But Columbus pulled Merzlikins for an extra attacker, and that resulted in a goal by van Riemsdyk with 2:39 remaining, cutting the Blue Jackets' deficit to 4-3.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Florida |
|
Columbus |
|
Sam Reinhart 3 |
Points |
Sean Monahan 1 |
|
Sam Reinhart 1 |
Goals |
Sean Monahan 1 |
|
Sam Reinhart 2 |
Assists |
Yegor Chinakhov 1 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
Cole Sillinger 1 |
|
Spencer Knight .921 |
Save Percentage |
Elvis Merzlikins .818 |
|
Spencer Knight 35 |
Saves |
Elvis Merzlikins 18 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Florida
|
22 |
4 |
0-3 |
2-2 |
4 |
26 |
| Columbus
|
38 |
3 |
0-2 |
3-3 |
6 |
35 |
Upcoming Games
-
Columbus will play their next game at home against Buffalo. The Blue Jackets have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .500 after a loss.
-
Florida will play their next game at home against Vancouver. The Panthers have a W/L % of .667 after a win and .500 after a loss.
For more information, contact us