5 TAKEAWAYS: Blue Jackets 5, Panthers 3

Even with sizeable advantages in both shot attempts and scoring chances, the Florida Panthers saw their losing streak hit three games with a 5-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Sunday.
With the loss, the Panthers now sit at 9-8-2.
"If we were getting out-shot every night and getting out-chanced every night there'd be concern because in a hockey game you've got to drive play. We drive lots of play here," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. "There's another level that we can get to that's just hard to get to. We've got to get to the heavy areas."
For a quick recap of the game, click
HERE
.
To read up on five key takeaways for the Cats, continue below.

1. TKACHUK'S TIP-INS

Make it back-to-back games with a tip-in goal for Matthew Tkachuk.
Getting to his favorite spot on the ice, the hard-nosed forward set up shop right outside the blue paint before re-directing a shot from Gustav Forsling past Daniil Tarasov to put the Panthers up 1-0 at 7:52 of the first period.

"I just knew Forsy was going to shoot it," Tkachuk said. "I was kind of all by myself at the net. I was just able to get a piece."
According to Maurice, the Panthers need more goals just like that.
"Matthew Tkachuk's a prime example," Maurice said. "You score goals with traffic at the net and people at the net. There's plays to be made and there's pretty plays to score, but we're not getting a handle on a lot of those right now. That can't be your design. That can't be what you're waiting for. Put pucks to the net."
Leading the Panthers with 25 points (eight goals, 17 assists), Tkachuk has recorded four goals and 11 assists in his last nine games. During that scorching nine-game stretch -- which includes an active three-game goal streak -- he's registered three separate three-point games.

2. EKBLAD'S DRIVE

Aaron Ekblad showed a lot of patience on this play.
Opting to carry the puck to the net rather than ripping a shot, the star defenseman drove right into traffic before sending a shot just past Tarasov to make it 2-2 at 16:38 of the second period.

His second goal of the season, Ekblad has been his usual productive self since returning to the lineup after missing roughly a month due to a lower-body injury. In five games since returning, he's notched three points (one goal, two assists) while averaging 24:47 of ice time per game.
With Florida's defensemen combining for 27 shots on goal against the Blue Jackets, Ekblad and Brandon Montour led the way with seven shots each. Looking at those numbers, Maurice said after the game that he'd like to see more secondary chances generated from those point shots.
"There's lot of things we can be better at it," Maurice said. "We had 27 shots on goal by our back end. We've got to get some people to the net-front and score some hard, ugly goals because we're having a hard time completing the plays around the net."

3. LOOKING FOR DANGER

The Panthers recorded 96 shot attempts in Columbus.
But after the game, it was the fact that only 11 of them were high-danger that stood out.
"I think we've got to do a better job of getting to the net," Panthers forward Nick Cousins said. "If you look around the league, all the goals are scored around 3-5 feet from the net. We have a lot of zone time. I feel like a lot of it is perimeter. Teams are doing a good job of blocking shots and kind of boxing us out. We've just got to get to the net more and make it harder on their goalies."
As you'd expect, a lot of high-danger attempts usually leads to wins.
Taking a look at their numbers this season on NaturalStatTrick.com, the Panthers have posted a 5-3-0 record in games in which they've generated at least 17 high-danger shot attempts.
That being said, the Panthers have done a good job of getting to the net for the majority of this season, even if they haven't been able to cash in. Their 15.47 high-danger shot attempts per 60 minutes ranks first in the NHL, while their high-danger goals per 60 minutes of 1.98 ranks third.
"We're going through a little slump right now," Cousins said. "I just think we've got to get back to the way we were playing. … It feels like they're getting to our net-front easier than we're getting to their net-front. We obviously show no quit. We've been like that all year."

4. FORSLING'S POINTS

Chalk up a multi-point game for Forsling.
Dishing out a pair of assists -- both primary -- against the Blue Jackets, the smooth-skating defenseman increased his point total on the season to 13 (two goals, 11 assists).
"I think we did a lot of good things this game," Forsling said. "We've just got to figure out a way to get the puck in in those key moments."
Embracing his new full-time role on the team's top pairing, Forsling is averaging a career-high 24:02 of ice time per tilt, which is nearly three minutes more than what he averaged in 2021-22.
Finishing with a negative rating in just three games this season, Forsling, who was a franchise-record +41 last season, leads the Panthers with a +14 rating.

5. SLOWING IN THE SECOND

Although it was the third period in which the Blue Jackets pulled away, the Panthers pointed to their play in the second as one of the reasons that Columbus was able to get back in the game.
After mustering only four shots on goal in the first period, the Blue Jackets produced 12 in the second period, while also notching seven scoring chances and finding the back of the net once.
"I think we started good like we usually do," Forsling said. "We got away from it a little bit."
Good at start starting and finishing, oddly enough the second period is the only period in which the Panthers have been outscored this season. They've posted a +2 goal differential in the first period and a +3 goal differential in the third period, but own a -4 goal differential in the second period.
Moving forward, it's one area they plan to work on.
"That second period, if we figure that out we should be a really good team," Cousins said.