The Florida Panthers rallied late and capped the comeback in overtime as Sam Reinhart scored 2:20 into the extra period to give Florida a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.
Reinhart’s game-winning goal, his team-leading 29th of the season, came on the power play during the three-on-three overtime session. Matthew Tkachuk set up the play with a crisp assist, continuing his recent surge with his fourth point in as many games. Over his last four contests, Tkachuk has totaled three goals and four assists.
Florida needed a late push to even reach overtime after being outplayed for much of the night. The Blue Jackets controlled the pace through the opening two periods, outshooting the Panthers 24-10 and limiting Florida’s offensive opportunities.
Columbus finally broke through in the second period when Adam Fantilli found the back of the net to give the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead.
The Panthers turned the momentum in the third period. Sam Bennett tied the game with a power-play wrist shot 1:28 into the final frame, igniting Florida’s comeback bid and forcing overtime.
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky kept the Panthers within striking distance throughout the night, finishing with 30 saves. At the other end, Elvis Merzlikins stopped 19 shots for Columbus.
Florida played shorthanded offensively, missing several key players including Brad Marchand, Anton Lundell, and Carter Verhaeghe, but still found a way to rally in the third period and dominate overtime.
With the win, the Panthers showed resilience after a slow start, taking advantage of special teams late and sealing the victory with Reinhart’s decisive power-play strike.
The Blue Jackets wrap up their three-game road trip Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Panthers begin a four-game road swing Sunday when they visit the Seattle Kraken.
