COLUMBUS – Just 14 games to go.
With playoff positioning still up for grabs, the Florida Panthers (41-24-3) will visit the Columbus Blue Jackets (31-28-8) on Thursday at Nationwide Arena at 7 p.m. ET.
“They’re fast, can shoot the puck, are good off the rush, and pretty skilled,” said former Blue Jacket and current Panthers defenseman Seth Jones. “They have great forwards, and you add Zach (Werenski) on the back end. He’s playing great this year.”
Pushing for the season sweep and their fourth straight win in Columbus, the Panthers first defeated the Blue Jackets 4-3 on Oct. 15, then again 3-0 on March 6.
In the 3-0 victory, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped all 16 shots he faced for the shutout.
Florida’s special teams also played a key role in keeping Columbus off the board, shutting down all four of the Blue Jackets’ power plays and sounding the goal horn twice with their own man advantage.
“We just try to build our game, learn from the last games, and when we play our own way and we play our game together, that's usually when we play the best,” said Anton Lundell.
Looking to get back in the win column, the Panthers have dropped two straight games, following their 4-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Sunday at UBS Arena.
“We just got to do the same thing every game,” said Mackie Samoskevich. “It doesn't really matter who we're playing against. I feel like if we're playing our game, we could beat a lot of teams in the league. It’s less about who we're playing against, and just kind of playing our game.”
In the loss on Long Island, Panthers also lost defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, who will remain out week-to-week with an upper body injury.
Getting the call-up from the Charlotte Checkers, Tobias Bjornfot will step in right away.
Playing 43 games for the Checkers this season, the 23-year-old defenseman registered 16 points (two goals, 14 assists).
“Toby is an awesome player, great guy,” said Lundell. “We’re happy to have him. We’ve got some depth. Always good to get him here.”
Like Bjornfot, another young guy who will be logging minutes down the stretch is Samoskevich.
Carrying a hot stick in this recent stretch, the 22-year-old has tallied six goals in the last 12 games.
Since Feb. 6 against the St. Louis Blues, Samoskevich has scored in every other game.
Not the only one on that line that has been putting the puck in the back of the net, Sam Bennett’s contributions to “Benny’s Buddies” continues to rise with five goals in the last 12 games.
Owning a 10-4-0 record in his last 14 starts, Bobrovsky will get the nod in net in Columbus.
Playing in his former barn, Bobrovsky won 213 games in seven seasons with the Blue Jackets.
In do-or-die mode, Columbus should come into Thursday’s game just as hungry as the Panthers.
Needing a win, the Blue Jackets sit three points out of the second wild-card spot in the East.
Losing 2-1 to the New Jersey Devils on Monday, Columbus dropped its fourth straight game.
Going 4-6-0 in their last 10 games, the Blue Jackets have been shut out three times in the last six games.
Not to be overlooked, Columbus owns a 20-9-4 record at home and has netted the fourth most goals (218) in the Eastern Conference.
“We know they're a good team,” Lundell said. “They're battling for the playoff spot and as we know every game is big at this stage of the season.”
Leading the scoresheet as of late for the Blue Jackets, second-year forward Adam Fantilli has tallied nine points (five goals, four assists) in the last 10 games.
Known for his toughness around the league, Mathieu Olivier has shown his offensive ability in the last eight contests, netting five goals during the span.
On the blue line, Werenski continues to not only put himself in the conversation for the Norris Trophy, but also possibly the Hart Trophy if he can find a way to will Columbus into the playoffs.
Since the 4 Nations Face-Off, the star defenseman has notched 10 points (three goals, seven assists) and 20 blocked shots in 11 games.
Elvis Merzlikins is expected to get the start for the Blue Jackets.
Between the pipes, the Columbus goaltender owns a 22-18-4 record, .896 save percentage and 3.04 goals-against average.
THEY SAID IT
“The cannon (laughing). They always have good energy here at home. The fan base is always behind them and supporting them.” – Seth Jones on what makes Columbus a tough building to play as an opponent
“The physical part, definitely. I think that's natural with teams fighting for a spot. It’s definitely something I've seen grow in the last couple of months.” – Mackie Samoskevich on getting more attention from opposing teams
FIVE CATS STATS
- Carter Verhaeghe (29) is an assist away from his fourth straight season of 30+ assists.
- Sam Reinhart has six points (two goals, four assists) against Columbus this season.
- The Panthers are 4-1-0 in their last five games in Columbus.
- Aleksander Barkov has 35 points (14 goals, 21 assists) in 34 career games against Columbus.
- Mackie Samoskevich has eight shots in two games against Columbus this season.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Mackie Samoskevich – Sam Bennett – Evan Rodrigues
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Jesper Boqvist
A.J. Greer – Nico Sturm – Jonah Gadjovich
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Seth Jones
Niko Mikkola – Tobias Bjornfot
Uvis Balinskis – Nate Schmidt
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Vitek Vanecek
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- March 18: D Tobias Bjornfot recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- March 7: Acquired forward Brad Marchand from the Boston Bruins for a conditional 2027 second-round selection
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Thursday, March 20 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Nationwide Arena – Columbus, OH
TV & Streaming: Panthers+, WSFL-TV, WHDT, WFTX, ESPN+ (out of market)
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT-AM & 92.1 WZZR-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); Panthers App; SiriusXM App & Streaming 931
Cats on Tap:Click Here
