The Blue Jackets were held scoreless in the first period for the ninth straight time, but they also kept Florida from getting on the board as well.
Columbus had a good early chance but Eric Robinson's shot on a 2-on-1 with Max Domi from close range went over the net and out of play, while Aleksander Barkov hit the crossbar in the period and also was denied by Joonas Korpisalo on a nice across-the-grain backhander in the slot late in the period. Korpisalo also made a huge save on Patric Hornqvist on an odd-man rush in the last minute of the frame.
Just like in Saturday night's game, the Panthers needed little time in the second period to take the lead. A pair of CBJ youngsters in Alexandre Texier and Liam Foudy couldn't connect on a pass and Florida took advantage, with Hornqvist quickly setting up Barkov for a one-timer past Korpisalo from the top of the right circle to make it 1-0 just 1:52 into the period.
The Jackets' best chance of the second might have come just after the halfway point as Vladislav Gavrikov threw a puck on net and there was a scramble for the rebound, but Boone Jenner hit the side of Driedger's net.
Korpisalo made a few key stops early in the third in scrambles as the Panthers pushed for a goal following an early-period CBJ power play that had a few shots on goal but could not score. But Korpisalo couldn't stop the next chance for Florida as the Panthers forced a neutral-zone turnover and Frank Vatrano made no mistake with his shot in transition, coming in along the left wing and ripping a wrister past Korpisalo's glove to make it 2-0 at 8:04.
The Panthers then took advantage of another CBJ turnover, this one at the attacking blue line, to make it a 3-0 game with 7:40 to go. This time, Barkov found the trailing Gustav Forsling in transition, and his shot was a carbon-copy finish, the same as Vatrano, as the defenseman beat Korpisalo from the left circle.
Columbus earned two late power play chances and pulled the goalie for both of them, playing with an empty net for a total of 4:37, but could not tally in the final stretch.
