The Columbus Blue Jackets continued their late-season surge Thursday night, riding a strong performance in net from Jet Greaves and a two-goal outing by Mathieu Olivier to defeat the Florida Panthers 4–2 and further complicate Florida’s playoff hopes.
Greaves turned aside 26 shots for Columbus, while Olivier scored twice—including a late empty-net goal—to secure the victory. Defenseman Ivan Provorov had a standout night with a goal and two assists, and captain Boone Jenner added a goal as the Blue Jackets extended their winning streak to three games.
The loss deepened the crisis for Florida, the NHL’s two-time defending Stanley Cup champion. The Panthers now sit 10 points behind the Boston Bruins for the Eastern Conference’s final wild-card spot and have dropped the first four games of a road trip that concludes Friday in Detroit. If the Panthers fail to qualify, they would become the first reigning Stanley Cup champion to miss the playoffs the following season since the Los Angeles Kings in 2014–15.
Columbus set the tone early. Provorov opened the scoring at 5:08 of the first period, blasting a power-play wrist shot from the blue line past Florida goalie Daniil Tarasov.
The Blue Jackets doubled their lead in the second period when Olivier tipped a shot in front of the net with 9:10 remaining, giving Columbus a 2–0 advantage.
Jenner, returning after missing a game due to a lower-body injury, pushed the lead to 3–0 early in the third period. The Columbus captain beat Tarasov from close range just 1:41 into the frame.
Florida finally broke through midway through the third. Defenseman Niko Mikkola redirected a shot at 9:08, and forward Sam Bennett followed with a power-play goal with 5:16 remaining to cut the deficit to one.
The Panthers appeared to tie the game when Gustav Forsling scored with 2:55 left. However, Columbus successfully challenged the play for goaltender interference, and the goal was overturned.
Olivier then sealed the win with an empty-netter with 1:42 remaining. Tarasov finished with 23 saves for Florida.
Columbus entered the game already riding momentum after a back-to-back sweep earlier in the week, defeating the New York Rangers 5–4 in overtime on Monday and the Nashville Predators on Tuesday to begin a four-game homestand.
The Blue Jackets also made headlines off the ice. Hours after the win, Columbus kicked off NHL trade deadline activity by acquiring winger Conor Garland from the Vancouver Canucks. The Blue Jackets sent Vancouver a third-round pick in this year’s draft and a 2028 second-round selection for the soon-to-be 30-year-old forward.
Florida also made a move prior to the game, trading veteran defenseman Jeff Petry to the Minnesota Wild for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2026.
With the victory, Columbus moved within a single point of the Bruins in the race for the Eastern Conference wild-card spot, keeping their postseason hopes alive while delivering another costly blow to the struggling Panthers.
