Florida @ Columbus preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 31, 2019 ) Florida 1, Columbus 4

The Columbus Blue Jackets have surged into the top three in the Metropolitan Division with an eight-game point streak and look to solidify their position when they host the surging Florida Panthers on Tuesday night. The Blue Jackets are 7-0-1 in their last eight and 17-2-5 since Dec. 9 after winning 4-3 at Montreal on Sunday as they begin a four-game homestand that includes games against Colorado and red-hot Tampa Bay.

“We should feel good about ourselves, but we’re just going to take it one game at a time,” Columbus coach John Tortorella told reporters. “. … It’s a very important time of the year to stay flatlined, whether you win or lose, and just go about your business.” The teams have split a pair of meetings this season and the Blue Jackets have won eight of the last nine games against the Panthers, who come in off an inspiring third-period comeback that earned a 5-3 victory at Toronto on Monday night. Florida fell 4-0 at Montreal on Saturday after the All-Star break to put a halt to a six-game winning streak, but trailed the Maple Leafs 3-1 early in the final 20 minutes Monday before getting four straight goals to take over third-place in the Atlantic Division. Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside 31 shots for his 20th victory Monday and could face his former team for the third time this season after going 1-1-0 while stopping 57-of-62 shots in the first two.

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: FS Florida, FS Ohio

ABOUT THE PANTHERS (29-17-5): Mark Pysyk, a natural defenseman who has been logging a lot of time at forward this season, scored twice in the third period Monday to finish off his first career hat trick and push his career-best goal total to seven. Captain Aleksander Barkov (16 goals, 54 points) is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury after missing the game in Toronto, and the 24-year-old center is second on the team in points behind left wing Jonathan Huberdeau (19, 66). Left wing Mike Hoffman scored his 19th goal and added an assist Monday to take over third on the team with 42 points.

ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (28-16-9): Center Pierre-Luc Dubois recorded a pair of goals in Sunday’s victory to tie Oliver Bjorkstrand for the team lead with 17 and tops Columbus with 42 points - eight coming in the last four contests. “(Dubois) was a beast, and that’s what we expect out of him,” captain Nick Foligno told reporters after the win at Montreal. “So the standard’s now set, every game is going to be that standard. But that’s what he can bring.” Center Alexander Wennberg (five goals, 20 points, 52 games) suffered an upper-body injury in Sunday’s contest and is expected to miss the next 3-to-4 weeks.

OVERTIME

1. Florida RW Evgenii Dadonov had an assist Monday and recorded nine of his team-high 23 goals in the last 12 games.

2. Columbus RW Cam Atkinson has not added to his 12-goal total in the last four games and remains two shy of 200 for his career.

3. The Panthers had a power-play goal Monday and are 8-for-28 with the man advantage over the past eight contests.

PREDICTION: Blue Jackets 3, Panthers 2