Sam Reinhart’s power-play goal 2:20 into overtime gave the Florida Panthers a 2-1 come-from-behind win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night in Sunrise, Fla.
Sam Bennett recorded the other goal for the Panthers, who won their third straight. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 30 shots.
Adam Fantilli scored for the Blue Jackets, who stretched their point streak to eight games (4-0-4), despite the loss. Elvis Merzlikins made 19 saves.
Reinhart scored from a sharp angle below the left circle for the winner. Defenseman Mike Benning got the second assist in his NHL debut.
Columbus argued the penalty, a tripping call to Fantilli on Matthew Tkachuk’s breakaway attempt 48 seconds into the overtime period. Tkachuk got the first assist on Reinhart’s winning goal.
Bennett’s power-play goal 1:28 into the third period tied the game 1-1. He controlled and put in a rebound off the goal post from just off the crease to Merzlikins’ left.
Fantilli gave Columbus a 1-0 lead with 6:59 left in the second period. He scored on a wrist shot on his off wing from the bottom of the right circle on a 3-on-1 rush. It came four seconds after a Blue Jackets’ power play came to an end.
It was Fantilli’s sixth goal in his last nine games.
Bobrovsky had kept the game scoreless with two spectacular saves earlier in the period.
He made a glove stop on Cole Sillinger, who was at the bottom of the left circle, 2:28 into the period. Bobrovsky made a save on Kirill Marchenko, who was also at the bottom of the left circle, as Bobrovsky was falling during the power play before Fantilli scored. That stop was with 8:04 remaining in the middle period.
The Blue Jackets had a 14-3 shots advantage in the scoreless opening period.
Columbus’ Dimitri Voronkov returned after being a healthy scratch for three games.
Florida’s Carter Verhaeghe and Anton Lundell did not play because of undisclosed injuries.
–Field Level Media
