Columbus Blue Jackets vs Florida Panthers Match Player Stats On Nov 06, 2023

Carter Verhaeghe scored on a rebound with 3:34 left in overtime as the Florida Panthers defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-4 on Monday night in Sunrise, Fla.

Anton Lundell got the primary assist, as it was his shot that was blocked on a two-on-one rush.

Columbus trailed 3-0 early, pulling starting goalie Elvis Merzlikins 6:09 into the first period. Backup goalie Spencer Martin was outstanding in relief, stopping 35 of the 37 shots he faced.

Martin was less than one minute away from winning in regulation before allowing a goal to Nick Cousins, tying the score 4-4.

Florida also got one goal apiece from Ryan Lomberg, Gustav Forsling and Aleksander Barkov. Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made 18 saves for the win.

Sean Kuraly, Boone Jenner, Kirill Marchenko and Alexandre Texier each scored one goal for Columbus.

Florida opened the scoring just 2:19 into the game. Lomberg started the play by dishing the puck to Steven Lorentz, whose shot from the left wing was wide. Lomberg circled around the net, grabbed the rebound and scored from a bad angle, firing the puck off of Merzlikins' back.

The Panthers made it 2-0 just 50 seconds later as Forsling scored from the point with the help of an Evan Rodrigues screen.

Barkov made it 3-0 as he rebounded a Niko Mikkola shot from the point. Barkov's goal chased Merzlikins.

However, Columbus scored twice in the final five minutes of the first period, closing its deficit to 3-2.

First, Kuraly scored from the doorstep thanks to a great pass from defenseman Erik Gudbranson.

Then, a Panthers turnover created a three-on-one rush. Jenner didn't bother passing, ripping a shot over Bobrovsky's glove at the 18:51 mark.

Columbus scored the only goal of the second period, tying the score 3-3 on Marchenko's power-play rebound.

The Blue Jackets scored the go-ahead goal with 7:30 left in the third period on a two-on-one rush. Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov blocked a pass, and the puck nearly went in, hitting the right post. That's when Texier pounced, tapping the puck in for a 4-3 lead.

Florida tied things after pulling Bobrovsky for an extra attacker with three minutes left. Cousins stole Ivan Provorov's attempt to clear the puck before scoring on Martin with just 57 seconds remaining.

--Field Level Media