Mathieu Olivier scored two goals and Ivan Provorov added a goal and two assists as the Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Florida Panthers 4-2 at Nationwide Arena on Thursday, March 6.
The victory marks the third consecutive win for the Blue Jackets, who have improved their record to 32-21-8. The team has now won 14 of its last 17 games after initially losing two games following the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 break.
“As far as that team (the Panthers), they set the standard the last two years as to what it takes to be successful,” Olivier said of the defending Stanley Cup champions. “So, [it’s] a really good match for us. Obviously, we did a good job. They pushed hard in the third (period). They tried to get physical on us. I thought we did a good job responding.”
Boone Jenner also scored for Columbus, while Jet Greaves made 26 saves in goal. Greaves said, “We knew coming out of the break that every game coming down the stretch was going to be tightly contested. It was just going to be small details that make the difference and we definitely learned that in those first few games.”
For Florida, Niko Mikkola and Sam Bennett each scored, with Aaron Ekblad providing two assists. Daniil Tarasov stopped 24 shots in net for the Panthers, who have now lost four straight games and hold a record of 30-29-3. Bennett said, “It’s great character in this room, so it’s not an issue there. I think it’s sometimes you’re trying to do too much and sometimes that’s the opposite of what you need… There’s no panic. I mean, there’s light at the end of the tunnel for sure. It’s frustrating right now but we still have a ton of belief in this team.”
Provorov opened scoring with a power-play goal early in the first period before Olivier extended Columbus’s lead midway through the second period by redirecting an Egor Zamula shot. Jenner made it 3-0 early in the third period before Mikkola and Bennett brought Florida within one goal.
A potential tying goal by Gustav Forsling was overturned after Columbus challenged for goaltender interference late in regulation. “I felt like obviously there was some contact there,” Greaves said about the play. “You never know how those are going to go… but I was happy it went our way.” Olivier sealed Columbus’s win with an empty-net goal.
Columbus forward Mason Marchment left during the second period due to an upper-body injury and will be evaluated further Friday according to coach Rick Bowness. Defenseman Zach Werenski missed his third straight game due to illness while Dante Fabbro sat out with a lower-body injury.
Florida traded defenseman Jeff Petry to Minnesota on Thursday for a conditional seventh-round pick in next year’s NHL Draft. Coach Paul Maurice called Petry “a real good teammate” who often played with different partners but always competed.
Panthers forward A.J. Greer did not dress due to what Maurice described as roster management: “He’s a very sought-after young man, and that will sort itself out over the next 24 hours.” The NHL Trade Deadline is set for Friday at 3 p.m.
