RECAP: Blue Jackets 4, Panthers 2

COLUMBUS, OH – Despite a late push, the Florida Panthers saw their losing streak reach four games with a 4-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Thursday.

With the loss, the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions now sit at 30-29-3.

“We know where we’re at,” forward Sam Bennett said of the team’s injury-plagued season. “This team is going to be a really good team for a long time. There’s no panic. There’s light at the end of the tunnel, for sure. It’s frustrating right now, but we still have a ton of belief.”

With the trade deadline slated for Friday, the Panthers dealt defenseman Jeff Petry to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a conditional 2026 seventh-round draft pick earlier in the day. Against the Blue Jackets, pending unrestricted free agent forward A.J. Greer was held out of the lineup.

“I think they're calling that roster management,” head coach Paul Maurice said of Greer’s status. “He's a very sought after young man. That'll sort itself out over the next 24 hours.”

On the power play early in the first period, the Blue Jackets broke the ice when Ivan Provorov threaded a shot through traffic past Daniil Tarasov to make it 1-0 at 5:08.

A tight opening 20 minutes, the Panthers led 9-8 in scoring chances in the first period.

Even with the Panthers apply some steady pressure, the Blue Jackets still doubled their lead in the second period when Mathieu Olivier tipped in a shot to make it 2-0 at 10:50.

Struggling to get pucks to the net, the Panthers had 20 shots blocked in the game.

Adding to the lead for the Blue Jackets shortly after the puck had dropped in the third period, Boone Jenner ripped a shot into the twine from the slot to make it 3-0 at 1:41.

Getting the Panthers on the board, Niko Mikkola went to the slot and tipped in a shot from Aaron Ekblad to spoil a shutout bid for Columbus goaltender Jet Greaves and cut the deficit to 3-1 at 9:08.

“Maybe the first time,” the hulking 6-foot-6 defenseman said when asked about the last time he scored a tip-in goal. “I like to be at the net front at both ends. I drove to the net, stayed for a couple seconds, and Ekkie (Ekblad) had a good shot. It was a good tip.”

Making sure the Blue Jackets wouldn’t get that goal back, Tarasov, who finished with 24 saves, denied a driving Dmitri Voronkov on a backhand shot from the doorstep with just over seven minutes remaining.

After the Blue Jackets managed to survive a flurry of chances, the Panthers cut deeper into their deficit on the power play when Bennett touched twine to make it 3-2 at 14:44.

Over his last four games, Bennett has scored four goals.

Briefly leaving the home crowd in a stunned silence, the Panthers appeared to make it 3-3 with 2:55 left in regulation on a goal from Gustav Forsling. However, after a challenge by the Blue Jackets, the critical goal for Florida came off the board due to goaltender interference.

Per the NHL’s official review of the play, Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist “made incidental contact” with Greaves that “impaired his ability to play his position.” That description of the event unsurprisingly left out the part where Boqvist was blatantly shoved into Greaves by Provorov.

As always, goaltender interference remains an unfortunate coin flip in the NHL.

With new life breathed into the Blue Jackets thanks to that controversial decision, Olivier put the game away when he scored an empty-net goal to make it 4-2 at 18:18.

“That was definitely our best period of the game,” Bennett said of the team’s push in the third. “I thought we were a little slow to start, not much energy in the second, and then we pushed in the third. But it was too late by then.”

THEY SAID IT

“It’s desperation hockey right now.” – Niko Mikkola

“I think the guys, we’re trying. It’s not a lack of effort. Sometimes when things aren’t going your way, you’re trying to do a little too much. Sometimes less is more. Everyone cares. There’s great character in this room.” – Sam Bennett

CATS STATS

- The Panthers winning streak against the Blue Jackets ends at nine games.

- Sam Reinhart has reached the 30-assist mark for the fifth straight season.

- Aaron Ekblad dished out two primary assists.

- Matthew Tkachuk has cracked the scoresheet in four of his last five games.

- Tomas Nosek went 7-for-11 (63.6%) in the faceoff circle.

- Uvis Balinskis recorded a team-high five hits.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Back on the ice in less than 24 hours, the Panthers will close the book on our four-game trip with a matchup against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.

To find a place to watch in South Florida, click HERE.