Columbus Blue Jackets face Florida Panthers power-play strike, but Adam Fantilli’s even-strength finish forces overtime at Amerant Bank Arena

The Columbus Blue Jackets left Sunrise with 1 point at 33-21 as the the Florida Panthers moved to 33-29, and the game ended 2-1.

First period

The Columbus Blue Jackets opened at Amerant Bank Arena with 0 goals in the first period while the the Florida Panthers also posted 0.

The Jackets set an early physical baseline with 13 hits, and the Cats countered with 23 hits.

Columbus carried the shot volume with 31 shots, and Florida finished with 21 shots.

Second period

The Blue Jackets broke through in the second period with their only goal, an even-strength finish that accounted for all of the team’s scoring.

Adam Fantilli supplied that offense with 1 goal on 2 shots, and that line’s pressure helped Columbus log 7 takeaways.

Zach Werenski led Columbus shot generation with 5 shots, and the Jackets finished the night with a 58 percent faceoff win rate.

Third period

The the Florida Panthers tied the game in the third period with a power-play goal as their special teams converted 2 power-play goals on 2 opportunities overall.

Columbus went 0-for-2 on the power play with 3 shots, and the Jackets recorded 18 blocked attempts to manage Florida’s late push.

Elvis Merzlikins finished with 19 saves on 21 shots against, and Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 30 shots.

Overtime

The the Florida Panthers ended it in overtime with their 1 overtime goal after generating 5 overtime shots, and the game closed at 12:00 AM EDT on 2026-03-13.

Sam Reinhart earned first-star recognition, and Sam Bennett joined him on the three-star list as Florida’s top unit supplied the decisive finish.

This Columbus Blue Jackets vs Florida Panthers match summary showed Columbus leaning on puck detail with 24 faceoffs won and battling through 14 giveaways, while the Cats overcame 23 giveaways with power-play production.

The Columbus Blue Jackets vs Florida Panthers key moments included Fantilli’s second-period opener and Florida’s third-period power-play equalizer that set up the overtime winner.

The Columbus Blue Jackets vs Florida Panthers result analysis starts with Florida’s 10 percent shooting rate against Columbus’ 3 percent and ends with Bobrovsky’s 30-save night.

The Columbus Blue Jackets post-game interviews had a clear statistical backdrop from the Jackets’ 10 blocked shots and Florida’s 17 blocked shots in a game where both teams took 4 penalty minutes.

The Blue Jackets are scheduled to play the the Philadelphia Flyers at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 2026-03-14 at 7:30 PM EDT, with broadcasts on ESPN+, NBCS-PH, and FDSOH.

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