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The Columbus Blue Jackets dropped their home opener 4-3 to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena. The sold-out crowd witnessed a touching tribute to the late Johnny Gaudreau before the action on the ice got underway.
When everything was said and done, the Panthers skated away with the win. Cole Sillinger, Sean Monahan, and James van Riemsdyk scored for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Meanwhile, Sam Reinhart led the way for the Panthers, with Anton Lundell, Dmity Kulikov, and Eetu Luostarinen scoring.
So, let’s take a look at the three major takeaways from this spirited affair between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.
3 major takeaways from Columbus Blue Jackets' loss to Florida Panthers
#3. The Blue Jackets played sloppy defense at times
Throughout the game, the Columbus Blue Jackets showed instances of disorganized defense. They failed to clear pucks out of the zone, allowed traffic in front of netminder Elvis Merzlikins, or gave the Panthers plenty of room and space to get high-danger chances.
A good example was Reinhart’s goal in the dying moments of the second period. The Blue Jackets got trapped in their own zone. Instead of collapsing in front of the net, they chased the puck around, allowing the Panthers to play keep-away.
Eventually, the puck got to a wide-open Reinhart, who walked in front of the net and buried the puck past Merzlikins. Reinhart skated around Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Damon Severson and scored without any pressure.
Those defensive lapses proved costly, especially as the Panthers scored every time the Blue Jackets seemed to get back into the game.
#2. Merzlikins looked shaky at times
The Blue Jackets’ netminder looked shaky at times, allowing a couple of soft goals. One that stands out what Kulikov’s goal.
The play developed as the Panthers held the puck in Columbus’ zone. The puck eventually got to Kulikov who let a shot go from the point. The puck fluttered in the air, beating Merzlikins as he was sliding in the opposite direction.
Granted, there was plenty of traffic in front of the net, making it difficult to track the puck. But a good positional goalie knows where to stand when he loses sight of the puck.
In this case, Merzlikins flapped around trying to find the puck. Unfortunately, the puck found the back of the net.
#1. The Blue Jackets played a gritty game
Kudos to the Columbus Blue Jackets for not giving up. After taking a 2-1 lead, the Panthers scored three unanswered goals to take a 4-2 lead. However, the Blue Jackets kept pressuring until van Riemsdyk scored his first goal as a Blue Jacket, making the game 4-3.
The Blue Jackets kept the heat on, but could not beat Spencer Knight with the equalizer. Despite the loss, the Blue Jackets played a tough game, making it hard for the Panthers to skate away with the two points.
The Blue Jackets will be back in action on Thursday night against the Buffalo Sabres at home.
