The ultra-competitive Central Division will be won in the head-to-head matchups between the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes, but it could be lost on days like Monday.
While the Lightning and Hurricanes battled in Tampa, the Panthers kicked off a four-game homestand against the Columbus Blue Jackets, one of the worst teams in the NHL this season. It was a prime opportunity to gain ground on a division rival and they didn’t waste, pulling out a 4-2 win in Sunrise.
Florida (29-12-5) jumped out to a two-goal lead on the Blue Jackets (15-23-9) in the second period and never trailed despite playing without multiple first-line players. Defenseman MacKenzie Weegar missed his first game of the season with an upper-body injury and is “day-to-day,” coach Joel Quenneville said, and star forward Carter Verhaeghe missed his fourth straight with an upper-body injury, too.
With Weegar out and Aaron Ekblad done for at least the rest of the regular season with a leg fracture, the Panthers played without both of their top-pairing defensemen to start the season and still managed to solidify their place in the Central race.
Winger Frank Vatrano scored in the first period and versatile forward Sam Bennett, acquired in a trade-deadline deal with the Calgary Flames last Monday, scored his first goal as a Panther in the second to put Florida ahead 2-0. After Columbus cut the lead to 2-1 with 6:38 left in the second, defenseman Radko Gudas answered with a one-timer goal 41 seconds later to push the Panthers’ lead back to 3-1.
Vatrano’s early goal came after Columbus outplayed Florida for the opening 10 minutes. The Blue Jackets peppered goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky with 12 shots in the first 10 minutes — including four on their only power play — before Vatrano capitalized on a failed clear to put the Panthers ahead 1-0 with 8:20 left in the first period.
In the second period, Florida took control with Bennett leading the way.
Two days earlier, Bennett made his Panthers debut in Tampa, dishing out two assists in the first period of a crucial win against the Lightning on Saturday. For at least one game, he was a revelation, reigniting Florida’s second line playing between wingers Jonathan Huberdeau and Anthony Duclair.
In his home debut, he added to his legend. Less than a minute into his fourth period as a Panther, Bennett finished off a 3-on-2 off an assit from Duclair to double Florida’s lead to 2-0 with 19:01 left in the period. After scoring just 12 points in 38 games with the Flames this season, Bennett already has three in his first two games as a Panther.
His work wasn’t done. With 7:33 left in the second period, Bennett watched Gavin Bayreuther level a high hit against Duclair and jumped at his teammate’s defense. He scrapped with the Blue Jackets defenseman, landing a punch and dragging him down to the ice. When he rose and skated back to the bench, the crowd at the BB&T Center rose to its feet to cheer on Bennett after he picked up a two-minute penalty for instigating, a five-minute penalty for fighting and a 10-minute misconduct penalty. Florida gave up its first goal of the game 55 seconds later, but then answered with its own 41 seconds after that.
The Panthers finished the period with 19 shots on goal and ultimately outshot Columbus, 39-36. Bobrovsky made 34 saves on 36 shots, while star goaltender Elvis Merzlikins made 35 on 38 for the Blue Jackets.
Columbus cut the lead to 3-2 with 11:59 to go, but Bobrovsky shut the door and Vatrano iced the 4-2 win on an empty-net goal with 1:22 remaining.
