Sam Reinhart tallied a goal and two assists as the Florida Panthers edged the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 in an emotional home opener for Columbus on Tuesday night.
Florida also saw goals from Anton Lundell, Dmitry Kulikov, and Eetu Luostarinen, with Spencer Knight making 35 saves to secure his first NHL victory since January 3, 2023.
Despite missing two key forwards—Aleksander Barkov (leg injury) and Matthew Tkachuk (illness)—the Panthers continued their dominance over Columbus, winning 14 of their last 16 matchups, including the last six in a row.
Columbus fought hard, getting goals from Cole Sillinger, Sean Monahan, and James van Riemsdyk. Goaltender Elvis Merzlikins posted 18 saves, while defenseman Zach Werenski had a frustrating night, hitting the post twice and getting stopped on a breakaway by Knight.
The game began in a poignant manner, with the clock starting at 19:47 in the first period. The 13 seconds that had elapsed were in honor of Johnny Gaudreau, who wore the No. 13 jersey throughout his standout NHL career with Calgary and later Columbus.
Johnny and his brother Matthew tragically passed away on August 29 in a biking accident involving a suspected drunk driver.
To commemorate his legacy, the Blue Jackets retired Gaudreau’s No. 13, raising his jersey to the rafters as fans chanted “Johnny Hockey!” In a special tribute, all Blue Jackets players donned No. 13 jerseys during warmups, and a touching video tribute, including an old interview where Johnny mentioned his father introducing him to hockey as a toddler, played to the crowd’s applause.
When the puck finally dropped, Columbus honored Gaudreau by starting the game with just two forwards, leaving his wing position vacant for the first shift.
After a scoreless first period, the Blue Jackets struck first 41 seconds into the second. Sillinger capitalized on a short-handed breakaway after a slick backhand pass from Kent Johnson, beating Knight with a top-shelf shot.
Florida equalized with 9:35 left in the second, as Reinhart won a puck battle along the boards and set up Lundell for a one-timer at close range.
Columbus regained the lead just 57 seconds later when Monahan stuffed in a rebound. However, the Panthers responded quickly, tying the game at 2-2 just 37 seconds later as Kulikov’s point shot deflected off Reinhart’s hip and into the net.
Reinhart struck again with just 1.6 seconds left in the second period, giving the Panthers a 3-2 advantage heading into the final frame.
Luostarinen extended Florida’s lead to 4-2 with a top-shelf goal with 4:48 remaining in the third.
The Blue Jackets kept fighting, pulling Merzlikins for an extra attacker. That led to van Riemsdyk redirecting the puck in with his leg, trimming the deficit to 4-3 with 2:39 left, but Columbus couldn’t find the equalizer before time ran out.
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