Barkov lifts Panthers past Blue Jackets in OT

COLUMBUS -- Aleksander Barkov scored a power-play goal 29 seconds into overtime, giving the Florida Panthers a 1-0 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Thursday.

He scored from the top of the slot after Blue Jackets forward Kirill Marchenko was called for delay of game at 19:30 of the third period when he put the puck over the glass.

Sergei Bobrovsky made 25 saves in his fifth shutout of the season for the Panthers (42-24-3), who had lost two straight and three of four. Florida remained tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs for first place in the Atlantic Division, two points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“It was a great game. It was a playoff-style game,” Bobrovsky said. “Opponent played hard. Opponent played a good game, but we worked hard. We had a great focus, great concentration. We were together. We were tight and we just grinded [it] out. It’s big points for us.”

Elvis Merzlikins made 27 saves for the Blue Jackets (31-28-9), who have lost five straight, including three by shutout. They also have lost seven of eight, getting shut out four times in that span.

“We didn't get the final bounce. They did,” Columbus forward Sean Kuraly said. “That's the way it goes.”

The Blue Jackets remained three points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.

“Are we trending in the right direction? A hundred percent,” Columbus coach Dean Evason said. “We're not happy in the dressing room. There's no, ‘Oh, good. We played great against the Stanley Cup champions.’ No way. We're [mad]. But did we do the right things to get a point? Did we catch a bad break trying to do the right thing? Yeah, so we're real positive after we're [mad].”

Barkov said the Panthers know they will be playing desperate teams down the stretch.

“We talked about it before the game, that we're also in the battle,” the Florida captain said. “So, it's not over for us at all. We need to get there (to the playoffs) as well, and we need to change the mindset a little bit so that we need to win games as well and battle for the playoffs as well. So, I think it was we were desperate today, and we wanted to win and we got the win.”

Boone Jenner had a goal overturned for Columbus at 10:14 of the third after video review determined he kicked the puck into the net.

“We're getting chances. They weren't going,” said Jenner, the Blue Jackets captain. “It’s on us to get those breaks going our way. Elvis was outstanding all night. We're honing in on some details that we need to hone in on at this time of the season.”

Bobrovsky has 49 NHL shutouts after getting his fourth against his former team. He made 16 saves in a 3-0 home win against Columbus on March 6.

The Blue Jackets scored once during their four-game homestand. That included consecutive 4-0 losses, against the Vegas Golden Knights (March 13) and New York Rangers (March 15). Mathieu Olivier scored in the third period of a 2-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Monday.

Columbus’ best opportunity in the first period on Thursday was when James van Riemsdyk put a shot off the crossbar on the rush at 16:31.

“We are battling for every single puck, every single shift,” Merzlikins said. “We really want to do something nice this year.”

At 8:02 of the third period, Florida’s Gustav Forsling put a slap shot off the crossbar.

Merzlikins kept it 0-0 with four seconds left in the third when he stopped Mackie Samoskevich’s wrist shot from the left face-off circle with the Panthers on the power play.

“I like the fact that we've been able to play in tight games,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said. “I've been saying that for two months. I think even in the two we lost last week (3-2 at Boston Bruins on March 11; 3-1 at Montreal on Saturday), they're pretty tight in the third, so to come out with a win after losing two is important.”

NOTES: It was Bobrovsky’s third straight shutout against the Blue Jackets dating to April 11, 2024. Only two goaltenders in the NHL’s modern era (since 1943-44) have had a longer run against one franchise: Dominik Hasek (four games against the Rangers from Dec. 21, 1997 to Oct. 27, 1998) and Glenn Hall (four games against the Bruins from Jan. 8, 1953 to Dec. 3, 1955). … With his 10th career overtime goal, Barkov tied Olli Jokinen for the most in Panthers history. … Columbus is 0-6-2 in its past eight games against Florida and 3-13-4 against the Panthers in the past five seasons.