Reinhart scores in OT, Panthers defeat Blue Jackets for 3rd straight victory

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Sam Reinhart scored a power-play goal at 2:20 of overtime to give the Florida Panthers their third straight win, 2-1 against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday.

After Adam Fantilli tripped Matthew Tkachuk on a breakaway 48 seconds into overtime to put Florida on the man-advantage, Tkachuk sent the puck across to Reinhart on the goal line on the left side, and he lifted a shot over Elvis Merzlikins’ arm into the short side of the net.

The Panthers, the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, are nine points behind the Boston Bruins for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference with 17 games remaining for each.

“This is not what we expect. It’s certainly tough to be this far out at this time of the year,” Reinhart said. “But it says a lot about us that we’re able to hang in there and rattle off a few.”

Reinhart also had an assist, Sam Bennett scored, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 30 saves for the Panthers (33-29-3). Defenseman Mike Benning got the secondary assist on the game-winner in his NHL debut.

“Sergei got us to the third period, no doubt about that,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said. “He was the difference-maker.”

Bobrovsky made 14 saves in the first period. 

“It was a good game, saw the puck well, and there was lots of action,” Bobrovsky said. “One of those nights where I had a little more extra work than usual. It was a great game. Happy with the win.”

Fantilli scored, and Merzlikins made 19 saves for the Blue Jackets (33-21-11), who extended their point streak to eight games (4-0-4).

“Very happy with the way we played,” Columbus coach Rick Bowness said. “We gave up 16 shots on net for 60 minutes. We dominated the game. Give [Bobrovsky] credit; he was the difference in the game, simple as that. We had our chances in overtime and missed the net by inches. They get the power play. 

“But overall, for 60 minutes, very happy with what we saw. Sometimes the goalie is better than your shooters. That’s the case tonight.”

The Blue Jackets took a 1-0 lead at 13:01 of the second period. After a Panthers turnover in the offensive zone, Mason Marchment picked up the puck and led a Blue Jackets rush before feeding Fantilli, who scored with a wrist shot from the right face-off circle.

The goal came after Bobrovsky stopped Kirill Marchenko’s shot from the left circle with his blocker at 11:53, having lost his stick while being tripped by the stick of a teammate.

“We should have scored more goals. Their goalie stood on his head,” Fantilli said. “We carried the play for the majority of the game and they made a push in the third. But we dominated for the most part. You’re happy to get a point, but … eventually, it’s not good enough. We need two to get into the playoffs. We just have to bear down on our chances.”

Bennett tied it 1-1 on the power play at 1:28 of the third period. Reinhart took a hard shot from the left side that went off the crossbar, and Bennett knocked in the rebound from the right side.

“[Bobrovsky] stood on his head all game and really was the spark,” Bennett said. “He kept us fighting right to the end. We were fortunate to capitalize on the power play.”

NOTES: Benning’s father, Brian Benning, was a defenseman on the original Florida Panthers team in 1993-94. He flew in from his home in Edmonton to watch his son’s NHL debut. The Bennings are the third father-son combo to play for the Panthers. The others: Casey Fitzgerald and Tom Fitzgerald, and Riley Stillman and Cory Stillman. … Reinhart reached 61 points (29 goals, 32 assists), giving him his fifth straight 60-point season since joining the Panthers before the 2021-22 season. He also has 83 power-play goals with Florida, one behind current center Aleksander Barkov for the franchise lead. … The Panthers played without forwards Carter Verhaeghe (tightness) and Anton Lundell (rest). Benning entered the lineup in place of defenseman Uvis Balinskis (lower body) and played 16:49. … The Blue Jackets are 14-2-4 since Bowness replaced Dean Evason on Jan. 12.