RECAP: Panthers 4, Blue Jackets 0

SUNRISE, Fla. – How’s this for goaltending depth?

A game after Anthony Stolarz made 26 saves in a shutout of the Ottawa Senators, Sergei Bobrovsky followed suit by stopping all 25 shots he faced to earn his sixth shutout of the season in a 4-0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday.

Over the last four games, the Panthers have allowed just two goals.

“Guys worked hard,” said Bobrovsky, who’s now tied for second in the NHL with 35 wins. “Sometimes it’s not easy to play those games, but I thought the guys did a great job. They did the right things. They played a great game on offense and defended very well.”

With the action atop the Atlantic Division remaining tight, the Panthers (50-24-6) now trail the Boston Bruins (46-18-15) by one point for first place with one more game played. They also lead the Toronto Maple Leafs (46-24-9) by five points with one more game played.

As long as they finish first or second in the divison, the Panthers will have home-ice advantage in Round 1 of the playoffs.

“We played a smart hockey game,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. “It’s toward the end [of the season]. You don’t want the same fireworks. There’s more to this. Everyone can feel the playoffs coming. No concern about our energy level for the playoffs -- none. That goes back to training camp. They’ve been preparing for this the entire year.”

Breaking the ice just 47 seconds into the first period, Matthew Tkachuk beat Blue Jackets netminder Jet Greaves with a shot from the top of the right circle to put the Panthers up 1-0.

After 20 minutes, the Panthers led 12-3 in scoring chances.

Keeping the Blue Jackets off the board in the second period, Bobrovsky denied Alexandre Texier on a point-blank shot from the slot with just under seven minutes left in the frame.

After coming close to burying a few chances earlier, Evan Rodrigues, who was flying from the moment the puck dropped, was finally rewarded when he overpowered a defender in the slot and tapped in a centering feed from Anton Lundell to make it 2-0 at 17:25.

A dominant trio against Columbus, the Panthers led 11-1 in scoring chances and 17-17 in shot attempts when Rodrigues, Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen were on the ice at 5-on-5.

“All of us work hard,” Rodrigues said. “All of us are smart. As long as we don’t get too cute with the puck and turn it over, we usually have success when we get in the O-zone. We’ve done a good job of finding open areas and being able to find each other.”

Upping his career-high goal total to 54, Sam Reinhart extended the lead to 3-0 for the Panthers when he beat Greaves with a far-side shot from the center of the right circle at 19:06.

Reinhart’s 24 goals at home are the fourth most in a season in franchise history.

Adding one more goal for good measure, Vladimir Tarasenko potted a rebound after a shot from Gustav Forsling to give the Panthers a 4-0 edge at 17:43.

Shutting the door, Bobrovsky stopped all eight shots he saw in the period, including two big saves in the final 3:39 of regulation.

With just two games left until the playoffs, the Panthers seem to be in a very good place.

“I think the defensive part is very important in the playoffs,” Tarasenko said. “We’re trying to get ready for those games. I think our goalies are doing a great job.”

THEY SAID IT

“You approach it one game at a time, one moment at a time. We’re definitely excited about the upcoming challenge.” – Sergei Bobrovsky

“I think we played the right way for a full 60. I don’t think we got too cute. We made plays when they were there. I thought we controlled plays in the O-zone more than we have as of late -- attacking the net, shooting at the net, getting guys there.” – Evan Rodrigues

“We didn’t cheat the game to try to generate points. We were good defensively.” – Paul Maurice

CATS STATS

- The Panthers have scored five goals in the opening minute of a game this season.

- Sergei Bobrovsky’s six shutouts are tied for the most in the NHL.

- The Panthers led 18-6 in high-danger shot attempts, per NaturalStatTrick.com.

- Dmitry Kulikov recorded a team-high four hits.

- Brandon Montour blocked a team-high two shots on goal.

- Aleksander Barkov has recorded a point in eight of his last nine games.

- Sam Reinhart has scored nine goals in his last 15 games.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Just two games left until the playoffs!

Looking to add to their four-game point streak, the Panthers will wrap up their season series with the Buffalo Sabres at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET.

For tickets, click HERE.