"They put a show on," Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette said of the line after the dominant win. "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."
By the time the dust finally settled against the Blue Jackets, Marchment had tied the franchise record for most points in a game with six on two goals and four assists, Lundell had established a franchise rookie record for assists in a game with five, and Reinhart had recorded a hat trick.
With that line combining for a +18 rating, the Panthers became the first team to have three or more players finish +6 or better in a single game since the Flames did it back on Feb. 10, 1993.
In net, Sergei Bobrovsky made 32 saves to improve to 23-4-3 on the season.
"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 just amazing to play today. It was one night that I'll remember."
Closing out a back-to-back set, the Cats will now look to carry that momentum into their final tilt before the All-Star break when they visit the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.
Sitting at 32-9-5 and in first place in the Atlantic Division with a five-point cushion over the cross-state rival Lightning, the Panthers have won 14 of their last 17 games while outscoring their opponents 87-46 during that stretch that began when they returned from the holiday break.
With their win at Columbus, they set a franchise record for most wins in a month with 12.
"The maturity of this group over the last few years has been fun to watch," Brunette said.
Named the NHL's "First Star of the Month" for January this afternoon, Jonathan Huberdeau leads the league in both points (63) and assists (46). Bolstering those numbers during throughout the last month, the all-star winger paced the league with 25 points (six goals, 19 assists) in January.
Also off to a hot start in 2022, Lundell was named the NHL's "Rookie of the Month" for January this afternoon after accumulating 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) in 15 games last month. By comparison, no other rookie in the league even surpassed 10 points during that same stretch.
Putting himself into the conversation for the Calder Trophy, Lundell, the 12th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, is tied for second among NHL rookies in points (32), while also leading all rookies in even-strength points (27), takeaways (47), faceoff wins (248) and plus/minus (+26).
"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."
Sitting at 29-13-4 and trailing the Hurricanes by just two points for first place in the Metropolitan Division, the Rangers enter tonight's matchup fresh off a tight 3-2 win over Seattle on Sunday.
After the Rangers built a 2-0 lead on goals from Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere, the Kraken then scored two of their own to make it a 2-2 game late in the third period. But with just 34 seconds left on the clock, K'Andre Miller lit the lamp to lock down the 3-2 win for New York.
Easily the MVP for the Rangers at this point of the season, Igor Shesterkin made 40 saves against Seattle to improve to 8-1-0 in his last nine games. Overall, the 26-year-old boasts a 21-5-2 record behind a 2.10 goals-against average, a .937 save percentage and three shutouts.
Heating up, the Rangers have picked up wins in six of their last nine games while outscoring their opponents 32-26 during that stretch. Artemi Panarin leads New York in scoring with 49 points (12 goals, 37 assists), but three other players on the team have also already surpassed the 40-point mark this season: Mika Zibanejad (47), Adam Fox (47) and Chris Kreider (44).
Fox, however, is expected to sit out this contest while nursing an upper-body injury.
Facing off for the third and final time this season, the Panthers and Rangers have each won on home ice during their last two meetings. In their prior matchup on Dec. 29 at FLA Live Arena, the Cats overcame a 2-1 third period deficit to win 4-3 behind a 30-save night from Bobrovsky.
In the last four head-to-head matchups, Florida has gone 3-1-0 against New York.
