5 TAKEAWAYS: Panthers 7, Blue Jackets 0

COLUMBUS -- Led by a four-goal performance from Carter Verhaeghe and another steady showing from Alex Lyon between the pipes, the Florida Panthers closed out their four-game road trip with a 7-0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Saturday.
With five games left, the Panthers (39-31-7) lead the Pittsburgh Penguins (37-29-10) by one point for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. Additionally, they've also clawed their way back into within two points of the New York Islanders (39-29-9) for the first wild card.
The Penguins and Islanders are both in action on Sunday.
"We're right in the mix," Verhaeghe said. "We like the way we're playing. Every game's a playoff game right now. We're doing everything we can to make a push. We want to get in really bad."
For a quick recap of the game, click
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To read up on five key takeaways for the Cats, continue below.

1. REINHART BREAKS THE ICE

A second consecutive 30-goal season is within reach for Sam Reinhart.
Breaking the ice against the Blue Jackets, the high-scoring forward got the Panthers on the board when -- after a few hefty whacks -- he fired a shot past Michael Hutchinson from the slot on the power play to make it 1-0 at 12:03 of the first period with his 29th goal of 2022-23.
Of his goals, a team-high 15 have come on the power play.

"I liked our jump, and that was important," Reinhart said of scoring first. "Obviously there's a lot of scoreboard watching at this time of the year. That's part of our game, especially with other teams playing before us. For us to come and handle what we could've today, the start was really important."
Finishing with a goal and two assists against the Blue Jackets, Reinhart has produced multiple points in each of his last three games. On an offensive tear the last few weeks, he ranks third on the Panthers in scoring with 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in eight games since March 10.
Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Reinhart has scored 62 goals.

2. VERHAEGHE'S SCORING EXPLOSION

Verhaeghe is bringing a whole lot of milestone pucks back to South Florida.
After securing his third-career hat trick in the second period, the sniper lit the lamp one more time in the third period to become just the third player in franchise history to score four goals in a game, joining Mark Parrish (Oct. 30, 1998) and Pavel Bure (Jan. 1, 2000 and Feb. 10, 2001).

"He's got an incredible release on his shot," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. "He works hard at his game. He's trying to get better every day. Some good goal scorers are hard to convince to do the other things, and he's willing to work hard. He's willing to battle on the boards and improve on his game. He can score more. I think there's another level he can get to."
With his fourth goal, Verhaeghe also increased his career-high total to 40. In the 29-year history of the Panthers, the only other player to score at least 40 goals in a season is Bure, who scored 58 in 1999-00 and 59 in 2000-01 en route to capturing back-to-back Rocket Richard Trophies.
"You don't really dream of scoring 40 goals," said Verhaeghe, whose previous career-high goal total was 23. "You just dream of making it [to the NHL]. It was a pretty special night, for sure."
Of his 40 goals, 33 have come at even strength. Looking at the NHL's leaderboard, only Mikko Rantanen (38), David Pastrnak (38) and Connor McDavid (37) have produced more. Additionally, Verhaeghe leads the Panthers with 10 multi-goal games.
"He's worked a tremendous amount on his shot the last couple of years," Reinhart said of Verhaeghe, who's scored eight goals in his last 10 games. "I've seen it, and he's getting rewarded for it. That's a huge milestone for someone to hit. We're obviously excited for him."

3. LYON'S BLANK SHEET

With a shutout on the line, Lyon didn't flinch.
Turning aside a dangerous shot from Kent Johnson with just one second left on the clock in regulation, the 30-year-old goaltender successfully locked in both the win and the first blank sheet of his career.
"Honestly, I felt pretty comfortable," Lyon said of facing that final shot. "Usually when you got the zero, it's like, 'Uhhh.' But I felt pretty comfortable. My main priority is just winning the game. The shutout is nice for me personally, like I said, but I would've been happy winning that game 7-6."
At 30 years old, Lyon, who's suited up in 34 NHL games since turning pro in 2016-17, is just the third NHL goaltender over the last decade to record their fist-career shutout at age 30 or older, joining Mikko Koskinen (30 years on Nov. 1, 2018) and Viktor Fasth (30 years on Feb. 6, 2013).
"I wish I could be super humble, but it actually does feel pretty good," Lyon said. "It's just kind of one of those things that I've always wanted and just never knew that the opportunity would present itself. Yeah, it just feels good. It gives me a lot of confidence that it's within my grasp."
With Sergei Bobrovsky still recovering from a non-COVID illness, Lyon has started -- and won -- each of the last three games for the Panthers. Stopping all 21 shots that he faced in Columbus, he's posted a .951 save percentage over those three starts.
After each win, the song "I Just Can't Wait to be King" from the Lion King has been at the center of the post-game celebration.
In 10 starts with Florida this season, Lyon owns a 6-3-1 record.
"I've had a lot of playoff experience at the American League level, and it really does make a difference," Lyon said. "I find that the pressure externally isn't nearly as great as the pressure within the team. Whether it's the American League, college or the NHL, you always want to play the best for your teammates. It's just how I think of it. That's what drives me."

4. BARKOV'S HELPERS

Aleksander Barkov was feeling generous in Columbus.
Dishing out three helpers in the win, the captain increased his assist total on the season to 51. His third season with at least 50 assists, no player in franchise history has ever recorded more.
Making a dent on the scoresheet in 13 of his last 14 games, Barkov has produced 21 points (four goals, 17 assists) during that incredibly hot stretch. Operating at better than a point-per-game clip this season, he's accumulated 71 points (20 goals, 51 assists) in 63 contests.
When Barkov was deployed at 5-on-5 against the Blue Jackets, the Panthers led 20-8 in shot attempts, 14-3 in shots on goals, 9-3 in scoring chances and 4-0 in goals.
Additionally, they also controlled 92.35% of expected goals.

5. TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

When you factor in both the state of the playoff race and the fact the Blue Jackets were playing without numerous key players, this was a game where the Panthers knew they had to take care of business.
Spoiler alert: They did!
In addition to putting up seven goals, it felt like the Panthers rarely let go of the puck throughout the entire 60 minutes. At 5-on-5, they led 76-29 in shot attempts, 41-12 in shots on goal, 38-13 in scoring chances and 18-5 in high-danger shot attempts, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
For the first time this season, they owned more than 70% of all shot attempts at 5-on-5.
Also shining bright on special teams, the Panthers went 1-for-3 on the power play and a perfect 4-on-4 on the penalty kill, including shutting down an extended 5-on-3 advantage for Columbus in the second period.
"I love the way we defended," Reinhart said. "We got some really good goaltending along the way. There wasn't much cheat in our game. For us to have success, that's the brand of hockey that we're trying to execute."