Florida Panthers Head Home After Eventful Road Trip

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ask folks around the Florida Panthers about this recent roadtrip and they say it felt like the team was on the road for a month.

Well, it has been a week since the Panthers flew out of Fort Lauderdale as tropical storm winds were stirring things up.

Close enough.

This trip, when measured in activity and not days, certainly filled up a calendar.

Yeah, the Panthers went through some things on this four-game trip which ended with an emotional 4-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night.

Florida went 2-2 on this first road trip of the season — one that sort of feels like it started a month ago.

Remember, the Panthers opened up in Ottawa last Thursday with plenty of pep and vigor.

Then captain Sasha Barkov crashed into the end boards trying to break up a empty-net goal as if he was playing soccer for Inter Miami.

Barkov is out at least another week.

On Saturday in Buffalo, coach Paul Maurice announced Matthew Tkachuk was sick. He left the team for treatment and should return next week.

Florida lost both of those games — 3-1 to the Senators, and 5-2 to the Sabres.

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Folks weren’t writing off the Panthers just yet, but there was some concern a 1-2-0 start could morph into something bigger.

Well, it did not.

The Panthers roared back to life with a strong performance Monday in Boston, Florida looking a lot like its old self in a dominant 4-3 win.

Tuesday’s win in Columbus felt different with Florida surviving a gutty effort by the Blue Jackets trying to make their honoring of the late Johnny Gaudreau complete.

Beating the defending Stanley Cup champions would have made a lot of people happy, perhaps would have been fitting.

Only the Panthers got a strong performance from Spencer Knight as he won his first NHL game since Jan. 3, 2023 — the first seasons of Maurice and Tkachuk.

“They all hurt equal, but yeah,” Columbus coach Dean Evason said. “Did we want a win to give to Johnny? Sure. Of course. But we talked to the group after the game and we told them we’re playing winning hockey but we just didn’t win tonight.”

Both teams struggled to get going on Tuesday night, and if you watched the pregame tribute to Gaudreau, you certainly understand why.

The Panthers and Blue Jackets felt each other out through a mundane opening period.

The fireworks would come in the second.

Florida took a 3-2 lead into the third when Sam Reinhart pounced on a puck that found its  way onto his stick following a Sam Bennett pass toward the slot.

Reinhart finished the road trip with three goals — two in Boston and one on Tuesday.

Anton Lundell, playing with Reinhart what with Barkov out, is lighting things up again alongside Eetu Luostarinen.

Maurice has always loved that line — Luostarinen/Lundell/Reinhart — and he brings it out as a type of security blanket whenever Barkov or Tkachuk is out.

He would run it more had Reinhart not done what he did last year.

“It’s funny, because you would love to just play them,” Maurice said, referencing Barkov. “But (Reinhart) scored 56 goals with the other guy. So, that’s not too bad. But, those three are just so good together.”

The Panthers stayed the night in Columbus and will fly back today.

Florida has its first homestand of the season starting Thursday against Vancouver, with Vegas and Minnesota coming to town.

The Panthers are putting things together with new players and old ones in new places.

Going 2-2-0 on the first road trip of the season would have been acceptable when they left and should be appreciated after the 0-2 start.

“It was huge to close this one out here, get a good feeling,” Adam Boqvist said. “We will feel good on the flight back. But we have more levels we can get to. But, two points is two points. We’re moving on.”