In the loss to Seattle, Eric Staal and Chris Tierney lit the lamp, while Sergei Bobrovsky, who also started less than 24 hours earlier at Tampa Bay, made 27 saves between the pipes. With the Panthers trailing 2-1 in the third period, the Kraken scored three of the next four goals.
With the Panthers battling through illness and injury as of late, Tierney, Zac Dalpe and Matt Kiersted have all provided the team with a boost since being called up from the AHL last week. In four games since being recalled, those three players have combined for five goals and nine points.
"They've been bringing some energy," Montour said. "They might not be getting out there as much, but every time they're out there they're making a difference. I feel like our energy is down as a whole group right now, so to bring guys up like that with momentum is nice for the team."
Out of the lineup since Dec. 3 due to an upper-body injury, Radko Gudas was back on the ice with the Panthers for the first time this morning wearing a yellow no-contact jersey. Additionally, Spencer Knight, who has been dealing with an illness, faced shots for the first time since Dec. 6.
While Anton Lundell (illness) and Patric Hornqvist (upper body) remain out of action, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said that Gudas could possibly return to the lineup either Thursday or Saturday, while Knight will likely need another practice before he can get back into a game.
Starting his fourth straight game, Bobrosky will man the crease against Columbus. Over that four-game stretch, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner has posted a .904 save percentage.
"He's such a big part of the group and most of the humor and a lot of the other things that are good about these guys," Maurice said of Gudas. "It's great to have him back out there."
Coming out on top in each of the last two games, the Blue Jackets enter tonight's matchup fresh off a 6-5 overtime win over the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday. After the Kings erased a 5-3 deficit in the third period, Johnny Gaudreau scored 40 seconds into overtime to win it for Columbus.
Jack Roslovic led the charge for the Blue Jackets on offense with four points (two goals, two assists) against Los Angeles, while Patrik Laine (one goal, two assists) and Gaudreau (one goal, two assists) each recorded three points as Columbus matched a season-high with six goals.
First on the team in scoring, Gaudreau has racked up 31 points (10 goals, 21 assists). Far behind in second, Boone Jenner has produced 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists). Starting each of the last four games, Elvis Merzlikins has gone 4-7-0 with a .862 save percentage this season.
In their previous meeting this season, the Blue Jackets scored three goals in the third period to claim a 5-3 win over the Panthers at Nationwide Arena on Nov. 20. In the loss, Florida recorded 50 shots on goal and 96 shot attempts, but only 11 high-danger shot attempts, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
"We put 96 shot attempt up in that game, but we had a whole lot blocked and missed a whole bunch, but I still think we put up 50 something [shots on goal]," Maurice said of that matchup. "The traffic to the net was maybe lacking. I think shot selection, too. That was a game where there were plays to be made where we maybe overshot the puck."
Since Dec. 7, 2019, Florida owns a 6-1-0 record against Columbus in Sunrise.
