Bobrovsky, Panthers shut out Blue Jackets, push winning streak to 5

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Sergei Bobrovsky made 16 saves, and the Florida Panthers won their fifth straight game with a 3-0 victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday.

Bobrovsky got the 423rd win of his career, tying Tony Esposito for 10th in NHL history. It was his fourth shutout of the season and second in his past three starts.

“It is a blessing to play in this league and to have the life I have,” Bobrovsky said. “I enjoy every moment I get to put the gear on and get to go out and play, whether it is practice or a game. I have fun with the guys, work for them, and try to be there when they need me. Again, it’s a privilege to be part of this team.”

As for the company Bobrovsky is keeping on the wins list, Florida coach Paul Maurice said, “Tony Esposito, right? He’s from my hometown (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario), and I need to talk to [Bobrovsky] about that. … When we were growing up playing street hockey, you were either Ken Dryden or Tony Esposito. Those were the two. The guys who picked first, always picked Tony. That’s a pretty good name.”

Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart each had a goal and two assists for the Panthers (39-21-3), who have won 10 of 12.

“We had a good first and second period, and we knew lately, our third hasn’t been that good,” said Barkov, the Florida captain. “We wanted to be a little better. They had a push, but we did a better job. We’re happy with that, and it helps us moving forward.”

Elvis Merzlikins made 33 saves for the Blue Jackets (30-24-8), who lost their second straight and were outscored 9-2 during their two-game Florida trip. They lost 6-2 at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday to end a four-game winning streak.

“They did not allow us to get to our game,” Columbus coach Dean Evason said. “They played a strong game, smart, obviously. They did a lot of good things; we didn’t get in on the forecheck, we could have done more aggressive stuff … simplify our game a little. We complicated things early, and it kind of fed into how they play the game.”

The Panthers had a 69-41 advantage in shot attempts.

“It was good,” Maurice said. “We played well tonight. Deserved to win.”

The Blue Jackets were 0-for-4 on the power play.

Asked what his team needed to do differently against Bobrovsky, Columbus captain Boone Jenner said, “I don’t think we got enough action around him as far as making it difficult on him with screens and rebounds, and getting those secondary chances. I think that’s where you can get to teams and kind of wear them down that way.”

Reinhart gave Florida a 1-0 lead at 5:58 of the first period with a power-play goal. He took a pass from Barkov at the right hash marks, turned as he settled the puck and sent it over the stick of Merzlikins.

Mackie Samoskevich made it 2-0 on the power play at 6:34 of the second period, scoring from the left of the net on the rebound of a Barkov shot when Merzlikins went low.

“Coming in, we knew we had to be around the net for second chances,” Samoskevich said, “and that’s what happened.”

Barkov scored into an empty net at 17:48 of the third period for the 3-0 final.

NOTES: Reinhart scored his 10th power-play goal of the season, giving him four seasons with double digits in that category for the Panthers. He passed Olli Jokinen for the most such seasons in Florida history. Reinhart also scored his 26th game-winning goal, tying Jonathan Huberdeau and Ekblad for third in Panthers history, and passed Pavel Bure for fifth on the franchise goals list with 153. … Ekblad had an assist to extend his point streak to five games (six assists). … Samoskevich had a game-high seven shots on goal and scored for the fourth time in his past seven games. … Vitek Vanecek backed up Bobrovsky after being acquired in a trade with the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday. … Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli had a six-game point streak end.