RECAP: Panthers proud of defensive effort after shutting out Blue Jackets

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Stopping all 22 shots that came his way, Sergei Bobrovsky backstopped the Florida Panthers to a 4-0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at FLA Live Arena on Tuesday.
Snapping out of a two-game losing streak and improving to 14-12-4 in the standings, those 22 shots are tied for the third-fewest the Panthers have surrendered in a game so far this season.
"Bob's game was real important," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. "I know he didn't get a lot of action, but early in that game in the first period they had two or three good looks at the net, and he was important. When we got our feet under us, we were pretty good after the first."

Opening the scoring, Brandon Montour took a pass from Gustav Forsling and blasted a slap shot from the top of the left circle past Elvis Merzlikins, who was blinded by and outstanding screen from Matthew Tkachuk in front, to put the Panthers up 1-0 at 9:04 of the first period.
With an assist on the play, Forsling recorded the 100th point of his NHL career.
"That story's impressive," Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said of Forsling. "Picked up from waivers and now he's a top defenseman. He's a really good leader and role model for this team. He works really hard. Every year, he's the most fit guy when he comes here. With his work ethic and dedication to this game, it's no surprise he got to this point. This is just the beginning."
Doubling the lead for the Panthers early in the second period, Tkachuk took a pass from Sam Reinhart and fired a shot from the left circle over Merzlikins' glove and into the far side of the cage to make it 2-0 at 3:47 of the second period with his 14th goal of the campaign.
In terms of fun statistics, here's a good one: Tkachuk has found the back of the net in eight straight games against Columbus. Per NHL PR, that's the longest active such streak by any NHL player, besting both Connor McDavid and Sean Couturier's streaks of seven contests.
Giving the Panthers some padding on the scoreboard heading into the second intermission, Barkov extended his stick to swipe a rebound away from a Blue Jackets player before rifling a wrist shot past a sprawled-out Merzlikins and into the cage to extend the lead to 3-0 at 19:16.
After Sam Reinhart cashed in on an empty net to up the lead to 4-0 at 18:14 of the third period, Bobrovsky kept his shutout intact when he denied Yegor Chinakhov's backhander from in front with 25 seconds left on the clock in regulation.
Improving his record to 6-8-1, the shutout was Bobrovsky's 38th of his career.
"We were trying to focus on the defensive side of the puck," Reinhart said. "When we're doing that, we're having the most success as a group. I thought a little loose early in the defensive end, but Bob made some big saves and kept us in it."

KEY QUOTES

"I think it was due for us to have a good game. Reino, Chuky, they're incredible players. It's really easy to play with them. You can always rely on them. Give them the puck and they're going to beat their guy and find you. I'm really happy to play with them." - Aleksander Barkov on playing with Sam Reinhart and Matthew Tkachuk
"I felt good. It's a big, big two points for us. It's a big game, and I thought the guys did a great job. They shut them down. They didn't give them anything very much." - Sergei Bobrovsky on Florida's defensive effort
"I don't think anything catastrophic, but maybe longer than day-to-day on both." - Paul Maurice on Colin White and Chris Tierney's injuries

CATS NOTES

• Colin White (upper body) left the game in the first period and did not return.
  - Chris Tierney (upper body) was ruled out of the game at the start of the third period.
  - Carter Verhaeghe (illness) did not suit up for tonight's game.
  - Matthew Tkachuk recorded his 14th multi-point game of the season.
  - Sam Reinhart tallied a game-high three points (one goal, two assists).
  - Florida has scored the opening goal in 19 games this season.
  - Sergei Bobrovsky made five high-danger saves, per NaturalStatTrick.com.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Looking to gain some more ground in the standings, the Panthers (14-12-4) will host the Pittsburgh Penguins (17-8-4) for a matchup at FLA Live Arena on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.