| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
 |
1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
|
CBJ GOALS: |
||||
Another tough night for the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Sunshine State.
Two days after losing 6-2 to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Blue Jackets were shut out for just the fourth time this season Thursday night, falling 3-0 to Sergei Bobrovsky and the Florida Panthers.
"You've got to fight for every inch down the stretch," said James van Riemsdyk. "Those are two teams that have been successful the last few years."
Despite the loss, Elvis Merzlikins had an impressive night in net. He stopped 33 of Florida's 35 shots and let the Blue Jackets hang around into the final minutes of the game despite Columbus failing to get on the scoreboard.
"He was fantastic," said head coach Dean Evason. "He definitely gave us a chance."
Both goals allowed came on the power play, where the Panthers had five opportunities for the game. The Blue Jackets, meanwhile, went 0-for-4 on the man-advantage and had just three shots on goal in the 7:51 they were up a man.
"We couldn't get enough looks or enough momentum going," said captain Boone Jenner of the team's power play.
Here's how the action went down Thursday night in Sunrise — one day before the NHL's trade deadline:
1st Period:
(5:58 — FLA Goal): Sam Reinhart gets his team-leading 32nd goal, this one on the power play for the Panthers. A good feed from Aleksander Barkov to Reinhart, who does a quick spin move and beats Merzlikins to give Florida a 1-0 lead.
(19:03 — Olivier Fights Gadjovich): Columbus' new $18 million dollar man, Mathieu Olivier, drops the gloves at center ice with Florida's Jonah Gadjovich. He had a battle with Joseph LaBate earlier in the frame, making it Gadjovich's second fight of the evening. There wasn't a clear winner in this one, but Olivier probably would have gotten the win via decision.
Gadjovich and Olivier drop the gloves for Gadjovich's second fight of the period! pic.twitter.com/ojcdzKCHM5
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 7, 2025
2nd Period:
(6:33 — FLA Goal): Florida picks up their second man-advantage goal of the game. Barkov's shot from the point has all kinds of traffic in front of it. Merzlikins makes the initial save but gives up a rebound and Mackie Samoskevich is right there to put it away and extend the Panthers lead to 2-0.
3rd Period:
(17:48 — FLA Goal): Make it a three-point night for Barkov, who gets an empty-net goal to add to his pair of assists.
| CBJ | GAME STATS | FLA |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | SHOTS | 36 |
| 64% | FACEOFFS | 36% |
| 0/4 | POWER PLAY | 2/5 |
| 3/5 | PENALTY KILL | 4/4 |
| 24 | HITS | 29 |
| 7 | GIVEAWAYS | 12 |
| 2 | TAKEAWAYS | 7 |
| 14 | BLOCKED SHOTS | 8 |
| ALL SITUATIONS ADVANCED STATS | ||
| 2.38 | EXPECTED GOALS | 4.75 |
| 40 | SHOT ATTEMPTS | 70 |
| 19 | SCORING CHANCES | 37 |
| 8 | HIGH-DANGER CHANCES | 14 |
| Data via NHL.com & NaturalStatTrick.com | ||
Stat Chat:
-
The second period was brutal for the Blue Jackets. They had just three shots on goal and the shot attempts were 28-5 in favor of the Panthers. Columbus' expected goals for the middle frame tonight per NaturalStatTrick was just 0.17.
-
The shutout ended six-game point streaks for both Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson.
- Boone Jenner had a great night at the faceoff dot, winning 14 of 18 draws. His stay at center may be temporary, but he continues to do well at this aspect of the position.
Up Next:
The Blue Jackets are halfway through their four-game road trip. Next up: the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. It's a 6 p.m. start Sunday.
