5 Takeaways: Panthers Earn Point, Fall to Blue Jackets in SO

The Panthers will take the point, but it doesn't mean they're satisfied.
Earning seven out of a possible eight points to start their season, the Panthers (3-0-1) played their hearts out in Columbus, but saw their three-game winning streak unfortunately come to an end with 3-2 shootout loss to the Blue Jackets (3-2-3) on Thursday night at Nationwide Arena.

"At the end of the day, never being satisfied is what makes you better and more successful," Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. "I don't think we're walking out of here licking our wounds by any means, but we obviously have to know we can beat a team like this and take a lead in games. There's a lot to work on -- no doubt. Be happy about it, but never satisfied."
In just his second game with the Blue Jackets, longtime NHL veteran Mikko Koivu opened the scoring late in the first period, taking a pass from Eric Robinson and roofing a shot straight over goaltender Chris Driedger to put the Panthers in an 1-0 hole with 2:57 left in the opening frame.
Evening things up for the Panthers in the second period, Carter Verhaeghe lit the lamp for the third straight game, following up on a shot from Anthony Duclair and sending the rebound past goaltender Elvis Merzlikins to make it a 1-1 game with just 2:46 remaining in the middle frame.
Merzlikins finished with 33 saves, while Driedger stopped 29 of 31 shots.
"It just felt like a gritty, hard-fought game," said Driedger, who looked far from rusty after having not started since Jan. 17. "We had long shifts in their end, and they kind of did the same to us at certain times. But, the first four games, having seven out of eight points is a huge start for us."
Sent to the power play early in the third period, Max Domi put the Blue Jackets back on top when a shot that clanged off the post landed right onto his stick for a wide-open goal that made it 3-2 at 6:18 of the final frame.
Making sure the Panthers would leave Columbus with at least one more point, Eetu Luostarinen came up in the clutch soon after Domi's goal, banging home a loose puck to make it 2-2 at 12:56 and eventually get the game to overtime.
Following a scoreless extra frame, Alexandre Texier netted the lone goal in the fourth round of the shootout to hand Florida its first loss of the season and give the Blue Jackets a 3-2 victory.
"On the road against a team we know works hard, we came in and had two great comebacks in the third period," Ekblad said of the two-game series against Columbus. "We really showed our resiliency as a team. A lot of positives to take out of it, and a lot of things we can work on. All in all, we're really excited to get to Detroit."
The Panthers will look to extend their point streak to five games when they kick off a two-game set in Detroit on Saturday.
Here are five takeaways from Thursday's shootout loss in Columbus…

1. VERHAEGHE'S STREAKING

Another game, another goal for Verhaeghe.
Finding the back of the net for the third straight contest, the 25-year-old forward picked up a juicy rebound following a shot from Duclair, waited patiently and then sent the puck into the back of the abandoned cage to make it 1-1 with 2:46 left on the clock in the second period.

"We like what he's doing," Quenneville said of Verhaeghe. "That line's been very dangerous every game. They all do a little bit something different, but certainly you like his consistency."
Signing a two-year deal with the Panthers as a free agent during the offseason, Verhaeghe has been nothing short of a revelation since arriving to South Florida. In addition to earning a point in each of the team's first four games, he's also recorded four goals over his last three outings.
As it stands now, Verhaeghe leads the team in scoring with six points (four goals, two assists).

2. ANOTHER DISH FOR DUCLAIR

There's a common theme when you look back at all of Verhaeghe's goals so far this season.
All four have been assisted by Duclair. Leading the Panthers with five assists through four games, the 25-year-old forward has already developed quite the rapport with Barkov and Verhaeghe on the top line. Whenever he crashes the net, one his linemates always seems to be in a good spot to jump on the ensuing rebound.
A 2020 NHL All-Star, Duclair had 23 goals and 17 assists in 66 games with Ottawa in 2019-20.

3. LUOSTARINEN LIGHTS THE LAMP

When you need a second goal, you go to the mane with "two" in his name.
With the Panthers in desperate need of a goal, Luostarinen skated toward the net and tapped in a rebound following a shot from Anton Stralman to tie the game 2-2 at 12:56 of the third period.

"I thought Luosty did a lot of good things tonight," Quenneville said of the rookie center. "He had a big hit in the neutral zone, and obviously scoring is nice… I think Luosty's got a positional awareness on both sides. I thought he made some crafty plays tonight."
After notching a goal and an assist in Florida's season-opening win over Chicago on Jan. 17, Luostarinen now has three points (two goals, one assist) through four games this season. In addition to scoring his goal tonight, the 22-year-old also earned a career-high 17:49 of ice time.

4. DRIEDGER STANDS TALL

Quenneville didn't mince words when asked about Driedger's performance tonight.
"I thought we has real good," Quenneville said. "I thought he was rock solid."
In his second start of the season, the 26-year-old netminder made 29 saves and denied three of four skaters in the shootout. Called upon to make more than a few big saves, he stoned all four high-danger shots he faced, including robbing Liam Foudy with his glove in the second period.

On top of his game despite having 11 days off in between starts, Driedger, who turned aside 28 shots in a 5-2 win over the Blackhawks on Jan. 17, said he "went back to the basics" in practice.
"Me and [Panthers goaltending coach] Robb Tallas had some good time to focus on the details in practice," Driedger said. "It was good. Obviously, the break is unexpected, but we made the most of it. There's a little more time to get some conditioning in and work on some little stuff."
Through two starts this season, Driedger is 1-0-1 with a .934 save percentage.
"I think I'm just going out there and trying to reduce the distractions," Driedger said. "I've always felt that when I'm playing my game, things tend to go well. When I was a bit younger, there were more times than not when I was not myself... It's been going well."

5. CONNOLLY'S MILESTONE

By taking the ice tonight, Brett Connolly officially skated in the 500th NHL game of his career.
"I'm very proud to play 500 games in this league," Connolly said after this morning's skate. "I'm very privileged and happy to do that. I feel like I've got a lot more in me, but 500 games in the NHL is obviously a big milestone. I'm happy that I can share it with this group."

The sixth-overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft, Connolly has racked up 188 points (98 goals, 90 assists) over his 10 seasons (and counting) in the NHL, which has included stops in Tampa Bay (2011-15), Boston (2014-16), Washington (2016-19) and Florida (2019-present).
In 73 games with the Panthers, the 28-year-old forward has posted 19 goals and 14 assists.

BONUS: FORSLING UPDATE

Gustav Forsling left tonight's game in the second period and did not return.
As of right now, the defenseman is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
"We'll know more tomorrow," Quenneville said. "That's where he's at."