RECAP: Florida Panthers 1, Columbus Blue Jackets 0 (OT)
Aleksander Barkov scored the overtime winner, Sergei Bobrovsky registered a 25-save shutout and the Panthers snapped a two-game losing skid with a 1-0 win.
Aleksander Barkov finally broke the ice 29 seconds into overtime to lead the Florida Panthers to a 1-0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Florida captain fired off a snap shot from the high slot to beat Elvis Merzlinkins and snap a two-game losing skid for the Panthers.
Sergei Bobrovsky stopped all 25 shots he faced for his fifth shutout oft he season and his second in the past five games. Merzlinkins stopped 27 of 28 shots on the other end in what was a tightly-contested match-up.
“He was there for us the whole game pretty much,” Barkov said. “It wasn’t our best game today, but it was for sure one of his best games. He kept us in the game and gave us a chance and we got it into overtime.”
The game was close to not making it to overtime.
With 9:46 to go, Boone Jenner appeared to give the Blue Jackets the 1-0 lead after banking home a rebound from in front. Only that rebound was kicked into the net and the goal was taken off the board upon video review.
Bobrovsky locked things down in the third period, stopping all eight of the shots he faced, and got the Panthers into overtime.
Kirill Marchenko took a delay of game penalty with 30 seconds to go to send Florida to a power play would last into overtime. The Panthers made them pay not too long after that.
Florida sits in a tie with the Toronto Maple Leafs for first place in the Atlantic Division at 87 points through 69 games. The Tampa Bay Lightning are two points behind them with a game in hand in third in the division.
The Atlantic Division race is tight headed into the stretch run of the season.
Florida wraps up a six-game road trip with a clash against the Washington Capitals on Saturday night before returning home to play Pittsburgh on Sunday.