Evgenii Dadonov scored 18 seconds into the game for a 1-0 lead with a deflected shot. The Panthers won the opening face-off and cycled the puck until it came to Keith Yandle at the left point.
"It's really tough. The game just started and we're 1-0 down already," Merzlikins said. "It's a negative feeling starting the game."
Josh Brown made it 2-0 at 8:53 of the second period with his second goal of the season. He received a backdoor pass from the left wall from Aleksander Barkov.
"Obviously, it was a big game for [Bobrovsky]," Brown said. "He's been great with us. He's a great guy in the room. We really look up to him. We were trying to play a little harder for him."
Brett Connolly made it 3-0 at 6:09 of the third period when he tipped Yandle's shot on the power play and it went off the knee of Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones.
Hoffman scored into an empty net at 17:37 to make it 4-1.
"We knew they were going to make a push in the third period," he said. "We wanted to play the same way we did the first two periods, playing well defensively."
On Thursday, former Blue Jackets forward Artemi Panarin returned to Columbus for the first time since signing with the New York Rangers as a free agent. He scored the game-winning goal in a 3-2 victory.
Bobrovsky is scheduled to return to Nationwide Arena return Dec. 31. He entered this game 9-6-4 with a 3.48 goals-against average and an .884 save percentage, which was tied for last in the NHL among goalies to play at least 10 games this season.
"I liked everything about his game tonight," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said. "I'm sure it was an interesting day for him. There was a lot of focus and attention and he responded well."
