The Florida Panthers scored four unanswered goals, capped by an overtime winner from Frank Vatrano, to overcome a 4-1, third-period deficit and defeat Columbus.
Game Recap
No goals were scored through the first, but the game started to ramp up in the second. Oliver Bjorkstrand would put up two goals on the board to make it 2-0 Columbus. Patric Hornqvist would then score to make it 2-1, headed into intermission. The third period didn’t start well for Florida as Max Domi and Patrik Laine would score for the Jackets to make it 4-1. Then the change happened. Lomberg, Tippett, and Barkov would score three goals in a span of 10 minutes, to tie the game at four apiece. The period would then quiet down until overtime. About halfway through the OT period, Frank Vatrano would score the game-winner as the Panthers steal one in overtime.
Vatrano on his game-winning goal in OT: “I would’ve lost some sleep if I didn’t bury that second one there. Great play all the way around. Ekkie (Ekblad) made a great play up, and Huby (Huberdeau) was shooting for a purpose off the pad there.”
Takeaways/Notes
- Florida’s 10th win in their 13th road game of the season marked the fewest games the club has needed to reach 10 road wins (previously: 10-5-0, 1995-96).
- With his 151st assist on Frank Vatrano’s OT game-winning goal, Aaron Ekblad surpassed Jay Bouwmeester (150) for sole possession of the third-most assists by a defenseman in Florida Panthers history.
- Frank Vatrano played in his 500th game.
- Ryan Lomberg scored his first NHL goal.
Next Up
The Florida Panthers will travel back home, facing the Chicago Blackhawks for the next two games (3/12 at 7:00 PM and 3/15 at 7:00 PM).