The Florida Panthers did it again.
The Panthers were down three goals with less than 14 minutes remaining after a mostly lifeless performance in Columbus and then ripped off three straight in the next eight to tie the Columbus Blue Jackets and eventually pull out a 5-4 win in overtime.
Left wing Ryan Lomberg, right wing Owen Tippett and star center Aleksander Barkov all scored to tie the game and winger Frank Vatrano delivered the game-winner with 2:12 left in overtime.
Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 of 32 shots to win for the fifth time in his last six starts despite a series of turnovers — and more than two disjointed periods for Florida’s offense — leaving him without much help for most of Thursday.
On Tuesday, the Panthers survived despite an awful third period by playing two fantastic periods to start the opener of a two-game set in Ohio. On Thursday, they won after playing two uncharacteristic periods to start.
Florida (17-5-4) put just eight shots on goal in the first period and only four in the second. The Panthers, who lead the NHL with 34.0 shots per game, got outshot by the Blue Jackets on Tuesday and Columbus (10-13-5) matched them Thursday to build a 4-1 lead early in the third period.
Florida gave away pucks in the offensive zone to concede odd-man rushes in the other direction. It lost battles in the neutral zone. Bobrovsky, who rescued the Panthers with 38 saves in their win earlier this week, couldn’t quite deliver the same sort of life-saving performance.
Columbus winger Oliver Bjorkstrand scored the first goal six minutes into the second period after Florida committed a turnover at the blue line of its offensive zone, conceding a 2-on-1 for Bjorkstrand and Blue Jackets forward Max Domi against Bobrovsky. Only 4:14 later, Bjorkstrand scored again after the Panthers lost track of him near the right faceoff circle.
After star right wing Patric Hornqvist deflected in his 11th goal of the season with 3:10 left in the second period, Florida couldn’t capitalize on a power play chance and Columbus scored twice in the first five minutes of the third.
The comeback started with Lomberg, who had never scored before Thursday. He batted a puck out of the air after a shot by forward Noel Acciari created a wild rebound.
Tippett was next, finishing a snap shot from the left circle after the Blue Jackets lost track of him.
Barkov capped the comeback on a power play, ripping a shot by star Columbus goaltender Elvis Merzlikins with 5:34 to go off a feed by defenseman Keith Yandle.
Bobrovsky got the Panthers to overtime, sliding to his right to deny Blue Jackets right wing Emil Bemstrom on the doorstep in a 2-on-1 situation with 3:43 left. It Columbus’ last great chance of the game.
In overtime, Florida didn’t concede a shot and fired four against Merzlikins. The star goalie made his first three — all on open looks for the Panthers — before Vatrano finally buried the game winner off an assist from All-Star left wing Jonathan Huberdeau.
