Blue Jackets score seven in win against Panthers

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Josh Anderson and Oliver Bjorkstrand each scored twice, and the Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Florida Panthers 7-3 at BB&T Center on Thursday.
Boone Jenner had a goal and two assists, and Markus Hannikainen and Tyler Motte also scored for Columbus (9-4-0), which has won four of five. Sergei Bobrovsky made 31 saves.

"It's always good for a team to see different guys scoring goals," Bjorkstrand said. "That's a good sign."
WATCH: All Blue Jackets vs. Panthers highlights
The seven goals represented a season high for Columbus, which has scored five goals four times.
More than the offensive output, Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said he liked the way his team moved the puck.
"Tonight it was as close to an identity I like to see this team play, and that's playing fast north-south and then getting under the hashmarks," Tortorella said. "We did that more tonight than we've done all season long. And on top of that, I thought our 'D' were elusive in the end zone. They were moving all over the place in the offensive zone and not just staying at the blue line. That's as close as it's come to how we want to play."
Florida has given up 15 goals in its past two games. The Panthers, who lost 8-5 against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday, have allowed five or more goals in five of their 12 games.

Vincent Trocheck had a goal and two assists for the Panthers (4-7-1), who have lost seven of nine (2-6-1). James Reimer made 15 saves but was pulled for a second consecutive game after Bjorkstrand's first goal gave Columbus a 4-3 lead at 9:11 of the second period. Antti Niemi replaced Reimer and made 18 saves.
Reimer made his sixth consecutive start while Roberto Luongo continues to be sidelined with a hand injury. He has a .918 goals-against average and a .763 save percentage in his past two starts.
"We're going to try to support him and we're going to play tighter around him and try and make everything coming in from the perimeter," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. "But there's going to be breakdowns in the game. Both teams had them. That's when your goalie needs to come up big. (But) it's not just him. We're going to win or lose as a team."
Bjorkstrand's first goal was the Blue Jackets' first on the power play on the road this season in 14 opportunities. It came 28 seconds after Trocheck tied the game 3-3 with a shorthanded goal from a sharp angle when he missed his shot but the slow-moving puck still found its way under Bobrovsky.
"We didn't panic when they came back there," Anderson said. "We just stepped on the gas a little bit and fired more pucks to the net and got a couple."

Bjorkstrand's second goal made it 5-3 at 11:27.
Motte made it 6-3 at 3:45 of the third period with his second goal in two games since being recalled from Cleveland of the American Hockey League. Jenner scored at 6:12, Columbus' second power-play goal, when he tipped in Artemi Panarin's wrist shot from the right circle to make it 7-3.
Florida took a 1-0 lead when Mark Pysyk scored 4:57 into the first period before Anderson scored at 11:32 and 16:27 to give Columbus a 2-1 lead.
Ian McCoshen scored 35 seconds into the second period on a slap shot from the point to make it 2-2 before Hannikainen gave Columbus a 3-2 lead at 5:21.

Goal of the game

Anderson's second goal at 16:27 of the first period.

Save of the game

Bobrovsky's pad save against Panthers forward Derek MacKenzie at 13:11 of the third period.

Highlight of the game

Trocheck's shorthanded goal at 8:43 of the second period.

They said it

"That's what we wanted to do tonight. We knew they were going to come out hard after their loss to Tampa the last game. We just tried to put a full effort in. A lot of guys contributed tonight." -- Blue Jackets forward Josh Anderson
"A loss is a loss is a loss. It's tough to win. But those are excuses and we don't want to use excuses. We have what we need in this room to win games on most nights, and right now we're not doing it." -- Panthers captain Derek MacKenzie

Need to know

Blue Jackets forward Brandon Dubinsky did not play in the third period, but Tortorella said he was fine. Dubinsky was involved in an altercation in front of the Blue Jackets net at 19:39 of the second period and was assessed a double minor for cross checking and roughing. … Columbus was 0-for-13 on the power play on the road coming into the game. … Trocheck's three points gave him 14, putting him in a four-way tie with Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Evgenii Dadonov for the Panthers lead.

What's next

Blue Jackets: At the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; SUN, FS-O, NHL.TV)
Panthers: Host the New York Rangers on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; FS-F, MSG, NHL.TV)