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03/05 21:58 CST Blue Jackets beat Panthers 4-2 in latest blow to 2-time
defending champ's playoff hopes
Blue Jackets beat Panthers 4-2 in latest blow to 2-time defending champ's
playoff hopes
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) --- Jet Greaves made 26 saves, Mathieu Olivier scored twice
and the Columbus Blue Jackets dealt another blow to Florida's playoff hopes
with a 4-2 victory over the Panthers on Thursday night.
Two-time defending champion Florida is in danger of becoming the first
Cup-winning team to miss the playoffs the following season since Los Angeles in
2014-15. Ten points behind Boston for the final wild-card spot in the East, the
Panthers have lost the first four games of a trip that ends Friday night in
Detroit.
Defenseman Ivan Provorov had a goal and two assists and Boone Jenner also
scored to help Columbus win its third straight and move within a point of
Boston. The Blue Jackets were coming off a back-to-back sweep, beating the
Rangers 5-4 in overtime in New York on Monday night and Nashville on Tuesday
night to open a four-game homestand.
Defenseman Niko Mikkola and Sam Bennett scored for Florida in a 5:36 span of
the third period.
Gustav Forsling appeared to tie it with 2:55 to go, but Columbus successfully
challenged for goaltender interference. Olivier then put it away with an
empty-netter with 1:42 left.
Provorov scored on a power play at 5:08 of the first, firing in a wrist shot
from the blue line. Olivier struck on a tip with 9:10 left in the second, and
Jenner beat goalie Daniil Tarasov from close range at 1:41 of the third. Jenner
returned after missing a game because of a lower-body injury.
Mikkola scored on a tip at 9:08 of the third, and Bennett pulled the Panthers
within one on a power play with 5:16 left.
Tarasov stopped 23 shots.
A day ahead of the NHL trade deadline, the Panthers sent 38-year-old defenseman
Jeff Petry to Minnesota for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2026.
Up next Panthers: At Detroit on Friday night. Blue Jackets: Host Utah on Saturday night. ___ AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhla |
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