COLUMBUS, Ohio _ Before routing the Maple Leafs 48 hours earlier, the Panthers' leaders told their young teammates not to focus on the big playoff picture, but rather game by game.
Well, that picture became both bleak and clearer at the same time after another hard-fought, one-goal loss, their 21st defeat by that slim margin.
Goalie James Reimer was looking sharp and the Panthers outplayed the Blue Jackets for nearly 36 minutes before that blasted cannon began belching to signal two Columbus goals in a 3:30 span late in the second period to hand Florida a crushing 2-1 defeat Thursday in Nationwide Arena.
With 13 games remaining the Panthers (71 points), who began the day six points out of a wild card, blew an opportunity to gain ground on all of their closest foes, as the Islanders, Flyers and Lightning all lost.
They now head to New York to play the Rangers on St. Patrick's Day, where they will need plenty of luck and the best closing kick since Secretariat to stave off playoff elimination.
They did receive a break as they won't have to face nemesis goalie Henrik Lundqvist, a perennial 30-game winner, who's out with a strained hip.
The Blue Jackets tacked on to their franchise record in wins (45) and points (96), while setting another mark with their 26th home victory to keep pace with Pittsburgh and Washington for Metropolitan Division supremacy.
With his team trailing 2-1 after two, Jaromir Jagr was denied by Sergei Bobrovsky on the doorstep at the 10-minute mark. Bobrovsky notched 33 saves for his league-leading 38th victory.
Leading 1-0 after one, the Panthers' power play nearly backfired, but Reimer made a pad save on a short-handed breakaway attempt by Matt Calvert at 2:26.
However, Reimer finally got beat on a fluke wrister from the sideboards by teenage rookie defenseman Zack Werenski in which he was screened by Calvert with 4:09 left in the period.
The Blue Jackets weren't content to head into intermission deadlocked. With 39 seconds left and just after the Panthers killed off a power play, Reimer could only get a piece of right wing Josh Anderson's straightaway slap shot for a 2-1 Blue Jackets' lead after two.
The Blue Jackets were 27-1-2 when leading after two, not a good omen for Florida.
It appeared it would go Florida's way early when Jonathan Huberdeau got a juicy rebound of Jakub Kindl's point-shot and backhanded in from just outside the crease for what seemed to be a quick 1-0 lead just 3:44 into the first period.
However, Columbus coach John Tortorella challenged, claiming goalie interference. Moments later the goal was overturned despite the slightest of contact by Huberdeau on the back of Bobrovsky's skate.
The Panthers eventually got the first goal with 1:10 left in the period when Alex Petrovic's long shot got behind Bobrovsky, Thomas Vanek poked the rebound and he ended up going around the net before centering it to Jonathan Marchessault for a point-blank goal.
Marchessault, who played his first two games for Columbus in 2012-13, scored his fourth goal in four games and has a team-leading 23 to pass Vincent Trocheck.
Vanek, who set a career high and tied a franchise high with four assists on Tuesday, got another helper, giving him six points in seven games since being acquired at the trade deadline.
