5 TAKEAWAYS: Marchment, Lundell set records in win over Columbus

Where do you even begin after a game like that?
With Mason Marchment leading the charge on offense with a franchise-record six points, the red-hot Panthers extended their winning streak to four games and rewrote the history books more than once during a wild 8-4 win over the Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Monday.

"I'm just trying to work hard every day, get better and prove myself," Marchment said. "I'm lucky to have come to Florida. They gave me a really good opportunity here, and I'm having a blast."
In addition to Marchment tying the franchise record for most points in single game, his linemate, Anton Lundell, set a new franchise record for most points in a single game by a rookie with five.
Oh, not to be lost in the shuffle, the third member of that line, Sam Reinhart, had a hat trick.
"They put a show on," Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette said of the team's dynamic third line. "The puck was just following them around. They were a lot of fun to watch. Some beautiful goals. It's kind of fun to watch them Globe-Trot around. A great game from them."
Amazingly, there's still a lot more records to mention, but we'll save those for the takes below.
In the meantime, here's a quick recap of how things went down against the Blue Jackets.
Staying on fire and extending his goal streak to four games, Marchment opened the scoring in Columbus when he took a pass from Lundell and roofed a shot over Elvis Merzlikins from the high slot to put the Panthers up 1-0 just 32 seconds after the puck dropped in the first period.
With the third line rolling, Reinhart then netted his first goal of the game when he took a cross-crease pass from Lundell and buried a shot from a sharp angle to make it 2-0 at 3:23. But just over a minute later, Gustav Nyquist tipped a shot past Sergei Bobrovsky to make it 2-1 at 4:20.
Keeping the goal-scoring spree alive, Aleksander Barkov got in on the action on a power play when he followed up on a shot from Jonathan Huberdeau and hammered the rebound past the outstretched glove of Merzlikins and into the cage for his 21st goal of the season to extend the lead to 3-1 at 11:38.
"We seemed to be clicking right from the start," Reinhart said. "I don't think we did anything special. We just moved our feet and moved the puck first and foremost. We created space."
Trading goals to close out the period, Reinhart then lit the lamp a second time to make it 4-1 at 17:54 before Patrik Laine cut back into the deficit for the Blue Jackets at 19:52 to make it 4-2.
Capping off the fifth hat trick of his career early in the second period, Reinhart slipped behind the defense, settled down a centering feed from Marchment and whipped a quick shot right past Merzlikins from the slot to increase the lead back to three goals and make it a 5-2 game at 4:27.
Briefly adding some drama, the Blue Jackets got within just one goal when Emil Bemstrom and Laine lit the lamp at 5:34 and 11:45, respectively, to make it 5-4. But within the blink of an eye, the Panthers regained their two-goal cushion with a pair of goals to close out the middle frame.
After Owen Tippett finished off a nifty passing sequence with a goal from the doorstep to make it 6-4 at 17:07, MacKenzie Weegar took a pass from Marchment, made a quick move to create a little space and then sent a shot right over Merzlikins' glove from the slot to make it 7-4 at 17:22.

"A tribute to the guys," Brunette said of that quick response. "I think they recognized they were getting a little sloppy and leaving the puck in bad areas and really hanging Bob out to try a little bit. The maturity of this group over the last few years has been fun to watch. They recognized they needed to have a couple shifts to get us back in control of the game, and they did that."
Putting a bow on an unforgettable night, Marchment flew down the left side of the ice, stuck out his stick and redirected a centering feed from Reinhart past Joonas Korpisalo, who entered the game in relief of Merzlikins, to put the Panthers on top 8-4 just 27 seconds into the third period.
With his sixth point, Marchment tied Olli Jokinen for the most by a Panther in a single game.
"It was great," Marchment said. "My linemates were doing a great job finding me and getting open. Like I said before, we really enjoy playing together. We've just got to keep it rolling."
Between the pipes, Bobrovsky finished with finished with 32 saves, while Korpisalo stopped 14 of 15 shots after Merzlikins had given up seven goals on 25 shots during the first two periods.
Improving to 32-9-5, the Cats now hold a five-point lead for first place in the Atlantic Division.
With one game left to go until the All-Star break, they'll visit the Rangers on Tuesday.
"It's a fun way to play when everyone is chipping in," Reinhart said.
Here are five takeaways from Monday's win in Columbus…

1. MARCHY MADNESS

By the time he'd pocketed his sixth and final point, Marchment admitted he'd lost count.
"It was pretty crazy," he smiled. "It was awesome. [Heck] of a night. I'll never forget it, for sure."
Bookending his night with goals in the first and third periods, Marchment added four assists in between to match Jokinen's franchise record for points in a game set back on March 17, 2007.
"Everything he touched went in the net it seemed," Reinhart said. "I'm happy for him."

The first player in the NHL to notch at least six points in a game this season, Marchment's big night is far from a flash in the pan. Already sitting on career-high marks in goals (8), assists (15) and points (23), he's posted six goals and six assists during his active four-game point streak.
Those 12 points are tied with Pavel Bure (1999-00) for the most by a Panther in a four-game span.
"Marchy's a unique player for us," Brunette said. "We don't have a lot of players like him, with his size and his reach and his puck strength. It's a nice complimentary piece when he keeps pucks alive for [his line], and he's got soft hands to finish. I think he can keep it up."

2. REINO'S HATTY

It's not often a player scores a hat trick and isn't named first star of the game.
But that just goes to show you how special tonight was.
Earning the fifth hat trick of his career and first as a member of the Panthers, Reinhart helped set the tone early on by netting a pair of goals in the first period, and then continued to help the team pull away from the Blue Jackets with another crucial score early on in the second period.

"The better we play, the better everyone plays," Reinhart said. "I think we all feed off each other when it comes to each line. We've certainly been able to find some chemistry with each other."
Adding an assist for good measure, Reinhart finished with four points in Columbus - his second four-point game of the season. On quite the tear, he's recorded 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) over his last 13 games to give him 43 points (15 goals, 28 assists) in 43 games this campaign.
"He's an unbelievable player," Lundell said of Reinhart. "He's a great passer. When he gets the puck, he knows where to put it. He has patience. He can wait. He finds the good passes to me and Marchy if we're open. Of course he can score goals, too. He has a really great shot."

3. FINNISH PHENOM

Lundell is kicking down the door in the race for the Calder Trophy.
Establishing a Panthers rookie record for points in a game, the 20-year-old center dished out five helpers against the Blue Jackets. Also coming very close to making NHL history, his five assists are tied for the second-most by a rookie in the NHL's expansion era (since 1967-68).

"It's crazy," Reinhart said of Lundell. "He's a little more mature than most 20-year-olds that come over. Just his composure on the ice has been a big factor for us throughout the lineup."
Clawing his way into a tie for second place in the NHL's scoring race among rookies, Lundell has racked up 32 points (12 goals, 20 assists) in 42 games. Doing most of his damage at 5-on-5, he also ranks first among rookies in points (27) and tied for second in goals (10) at even strength.
With 17 points in January, the 2020 first-round pick also set a franchise record for most points by a rookie in a calendar month.
"It was such a great game to play," Lundell said. "We just enjoyed playing. Every time we were on the ice, we just tried to do our best. We just played together, played hockey and enjoyed it."
Want a really enjoyable stat?
Since Dec. 29, Lundell has posted 20 points (five goals, 15 assists).
In that same time, no other rookie in the NHL has even hit double digits.

4. A TERRIFIC TRIO

Now that we've looked at them all individually, let's look at the third line as a whole.
Doing a lot of damage up front, Marchment, Lundell and Reinhart combined for five goals and 10 assists, with three of those goals and five of those assists coming in the first period alone.
"It was a crazy game," Lundell said. "From the first shift, we came to play. Everything just went our way. We found each other. When one of us got the puck, we knew where to put it. We always had the support close. It was amazing to play today. It was one night that I'll remember."

A force in the possession battle, the Panthers led 14-6 in shot attempts, 10-1 in shots on goal and 10-2 in scoring chances when that line was deployed at 5-on-5, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
Additionally, the line's 91.79 xGF% was simply ridiculous. "We really enjoy playing together," Marchment said.
"We've just got to keep it rolling."
With the line combining for a +18 rating, the Panthers became the first team to have three or more players finish +6 or better in a game since the Flames did it back on Feb. 10, 1993.
"A really unbelievable experience to watch the puck follow them around like that," Brunette said.

5. JANUARY JAMS

Does this month have to end?
With tonight's win, the Panthers set a new franchise record for most wins in a calendar month with 12. During that incredible stretch to kick off 2022, they outscored the opposition by a staggering 74-40 margin, including lighting the lamp at least five times in nine of those games.
In that stretch, they've also found success on the power play (29.6%) and penalty kill (88.9%).

"Everyone is pulling on the rope in the same direction," Reinhart said.
In January, Huberdeau, who will be heading the 2022 NHL All-Star Game in Las Vegas this weekend, led the Cats in assists (19) and points (25), while Sam Bennett scored the most goals (12). Overall, nine different players had at least 13 points, and seven had at least six goals.
As it has been all season, it continues to be a full team effort.