Sam Reinhart scored the deciding goal 2:20 into overtime as the Florida Panthers extended its winning streak to three games with a hard-fought 2-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Amerant Bank Arena.
After a ridiculously good first period from Sergei Bobrovsky (14 saves) kept the outplayed Panthers even, the Blue Jackets finally broke through 13:01 into the second when Adam Fantilli took a lead pass from Mason Marchment and wired a wrister home from the right circle.
The Cats opened the third on a power play and tied the tilt at the 1:28 mark. After taking a pass from Mackie Samoskevich, Reinhart took the puck to the net and fired a high shot that glanced off both Elvis Merlikins and the cross bar. The rebound struck Sam Bennett in the torso and fell to the ice and number 9 was able to swat into the net.
The goal gave Bennett his 50th point of the season while the assist put Reinhart at 60 points.
A brilliant Bobrovsky only faced seven shots in the final frame, but was forced to make a few high-danger stops to lug his team to the extra session.
Fantilli tripped Matthew Tkachuk on a breakaway, giving the Cats a 4-on-3 mad-advantage.
Following four saves from Merzlikins, Tkachuk exhanged passes with rookie Mike Benning and then softly one-timed the puck through the slot to Sam Reinhart, who was able to gather and roof his shot from a difficult angle to end it.
The comeback victory pulled the Panthers within nine points of the idle Boston Bruins with 17 games remaining on the slate for both teams. Florida seems determined to send its 2026 first-rounder to Chicago, so let’s enjoy the wins and continue to hope off a miracle until the runway runs out and reality sets in. The Cats will open a four-game road trip in Seattle on Sunday.
The Five Hole
- First Star Sam Reinhart became the first Panther to breach the 60-point plateau and notched his sixth game-winning goal of the season. Reinhart matched Luke Kunin with a team-high three shots.
- Mike Benning drew the secondary assist on Reinhart’s winner, giving him his first career point in his NHL debut. Benning played 16:49 and was credited with a hit and a blocked shot.
- Sam Bennett’s goal gave him 50 points for the second time in his career. Bennett is two points away from setting a new career-high. Bennett has scored five times in the last seven games.
- Sergei Bobrovsky delivered a stellar performance, finishing with 30 saves to collect his 24th win of the campaign. Bobrovsky posted consecutive wins for the first time since mid-January.
- Matthew Tkachuk’s assist gave him points in four-straight games. Tkachuk has now amassed 20 points in 18 games played since returning to the lineup on January 19.
Stat Card
