Florida Panthers vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Pick & Prediction OCTOBER 15th 2024
Preview and Prediction
Strong emotions will be felt when the Columbus Blue Jackets take to the ice for their home opener against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.
This will be the first game played in Columbus since the tragic passing of star forward Johnny Gaudreau. On August 29th, Johnny and his brother Matthew were killed in a cycling accident involving a suspected drunk driver.
The brothers were in New Jersey for their sister's wedding when the accident occurred. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
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During Monday's practice, Guy Gaudreau, the father of Johnny and Matthew, joined the team on the ice. Columbus coach Dean Evason expressed his joy at having him there, saying, "He loves the game, loves hockey, and (it was) a pleasure to have him out there."
Other members of the Gaudreau family will also be in attendance for Tuesday's game.
When asked about the team's mindset heading into the game, forward Sean Monahan stated, "Honestly, I don't have an answer. But when we step on the ice, I step on the ice, you play for John. If he was here, he'd be excited for a day like this, a home opener, a new-looking team. We've got to be excited for it."
The Blue Jackets have split their first two games of the season, losing 3-2 to the Minnesota Wild before bouncing back with a 6-4 win over the Colorado Avalanche.
Leading the team in points so far is Yegor Chinakhov with four (one goal, three assists). Defenseman Zach Werenski, who had an impressive 57 points in 70 games last season, is tied for the team lead in goals with two.
Columbus has split starts between their two goalies, Daniil Tarasov and Elvis Merzlikins. Tarasov earned the win against Colorado, stopping 26 of 30 shots, while Merzlikins made 23 saves in the loss to Minnesota.
Tarasov, a 25-year-old from Russia, was drafted by Columbus in 2017 and has primarily served as a backup. Merzlikins, a 30-year-old from Latvia, was drafted by the Blue Jackets in 2014 and started 40 games last season.
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On the other side, the Florida Panthers, reigning Stanley Cup champions, have had a mediocre start to their season.
They have two wins against the Boston Bruins, but also suffered losses to the Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres, two non-playoff teams from last season.
In addition, the Panthers have been hit with injuries to key players. Top-line center Aleksander Barkov is expected to miss two to three weeks with a leg injury, and winger Matthew Tkachuk has been out for the past two games with an illness.
Despite these challenges, the Panthers were able to rally and defeat the Bruins 4-3 on Monday.
Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who made 24 saves in the win, acknowledged the importance of the victory, saying, "It was an important win. I thought our guys worked hard for each other, especially with two key guys out."
Center Sam Reinhart, who scored two goals in the game, recognized the impact of missing Barkov and Tkachuk, stating, "If we had (Tkachuk) on the wall or (Barkov) in the hole, we're going to make a play. But we fought and battled. We competed."
Reinhart and Sam Bennett lead the team in goals with three each, while Anton Lundell scored his first two goals of the season against Boston.
If Bobrovsky is given a rest, backup Spencer Knight will likely start in net. The 2019 first-round pick lost his only game this season and has not won an NHL game since January 2023.
Florida Panthers vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Recap JAN 31TH 2022
Aleksander Barkov had a goal and two assists for the Florida Panthers in a 5-2 win against the host Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday.
Gustav Forsling had a goal and an assist and Sam Reinhart had four assists for the Panthers, who are 5-1-1 in their past seven games. Florida's Anthony Stolarz made 18 saves.
Yegor Chinakhov and Dmitri Voronkov scored goals and Jet Greaves made 32 saves for the Blue Jackets, who have lost six of their past nine.
Forsling struck at 1:02 of the first period to give Florida a 1-0 lead. Reinhart sent backhand feed to Aleksander Barkov in the right circle. The Panthers captain then quickly dished over to a pinching Forsling uncovered in the left circle for a shot that beat Greaves short side.
Chinakhov tied it 1-1 at 7:06 of the first period. He sent a pass to Kirill Marchenko in the neutral zone, who returned it seconds later and kept his left leg stretched to the blue line to avoid an offside as Chinakov carried it into the zone and skated to the top of the two circles for his sixth of the season.
The Panthers responded 22 seconds later.
Reinhart took a pass from Forsling high in the zone and sent a shot toward the net that was tipped by Carter Verhaeghe in front past the glove of Greaves put Florida in front 2-1 at 7:28.
The visitors came close midway through the frame with a pair of opportunities, first from Aaron Ekblad hitting the outside of the net and then moments later Oliver Ekman-Larsson's shot through traffic from the left circle hit the far post.
The Panthers were awarded a seven-minute power play nearly at 6:49 after Erik Gudbranson went after Nick Cousins in retaliation for a hit from behind into the boards 24 seconds into the frame. Cousins was initially assessed a five-minute major but officials reduced it to a two-minute minor after review.
Gudbranson, who grabbed Cousins and threw some punches as Cousins was down on the ice, was assessed a five-minute major, a two-minute instigator and two 10-minute misconducts.
Florida finally connected with 37 seconds left in the man advantage when Barkov swept in a loose puck on the doorstep to make it 3-1 at 13:13.
With Greaves pulled for the extra attacker, Voronkov cut it to 3-2 at 16:11 from the crease.
Matthew Tkachuk scored into an empty net at 18:05 for a 4-2 lead and Eetu Luostarinen added another at 18:59 for the final goal.