The Columbus Blue Jackets entered their game on Saturday afternoon against the Florida Panthers hoping to start their three-game road trip on the right foot. But as has been custom in recent games, overtime was required.
Sam Bennett scored the winning goal with just under four seconds left in overtime to lift the Panthers to a wild 7-6 win over the Blue Jackets. Bennett and Brad Marchand each finished with four points. Carter Verhaeghe added three points. The Blue Jackets had points from 13 different skaters in the losing effort.
The story of this game was the defending champions showing no quit despite being down multiple goals at different points in the game.
Game Recap
The first period started tame enough. The teams each exchanged goals midway through the first period. Damon Severson deflected an Ivan Provorov shot to open the scoring. Then Evan Rodrigues tied it about two minutes later.
Then things got real crazy. The two teams scored a combined seven goals in the second period. The Blue Jackets stormed out to a 4-1 lead thanks to three goals in about five minutes from Dmitri Voronkov, Miles Wood and Kirill Marchenko.
Controversy then struck. An important call fell in favor of the Panthers.
Verhaeghe scored his first goal of the game to cut it to 4-2. Before the goal, it appeared the puck hit Marchand’s glove. The Blue Jackets challenged for a missed stoppage as they felt a hand pass should have been called. The officials ruled the puck was deflected and not deemed a hand pass. That goal was allowed to stand. The Panthers then tied the game quickly after that.
Verhaeghe scored on the resulting power play from a failed challenge to make it 4-3. The three minutes later, Seth Jones scored on the power play to make it 4-4. This was not the only occurrence of the Panthers charging back from being down multiple goals.
Cole Sillinger scored with 1:34 left in the second to make it 5-4. To open the third, Isac Lundestrom scored his first as a Blue Jacket off a great pass from Wood to make it 6-4.
Once again, the Panthers found a way back. Marchand scored on a drive to the net to make it 6-5. Then with 5:42 left in regulation, Anton Lundell tied the game at 6.
Both teams had chances to win the game on the power play. The Panthers failed to convert at the end of regulation. The Blue Jackets failed to convert midway through the third and in overtime. Then the game was decided in the final seconds.
Marchand was able to get the puck to Bennett and he beat Elvis Merzlikins to secure the 7-6 win. The Panther came back from being down 4-1 and 6-4 to win this one.
Merzlikins made 33 saves on the 40 shots he faced. Sergei Bobrovsky finished with 25 saves on the day.
The Blue Jackets now have to fly to Washington D.C. for a Sunday night game against the Capitals. The Panthers come right back as well as they will host the New York Islanders on Sunday evening.
