Panthers 2, Blue Jackets 1, SO
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Center Aleksander Barkov scored off his backhand in the fourth round of a shootout leading the Florida Panthers to a 2-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets before 14,062 in Nationwide Arena.
Florida left winger Jonathan Huberdeau scored in the third round of the shootout to keep the game alive.
The Panthers have won five straight for the first time since Dec. 10 through Dec. 19, 2013.
The Blue Jackets have lost three straight for the first time since coach John Tortorella took over on Oct. 21.
Center Vincent Trocheck scored his eighth goal of the season for Florida, while back-up goaltender Al Montoya -- giving starter Roberto Luongo a breather -- finished with 22 saves.
Center Michael Chaput scored for the Blue Jackets, while goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky finished with 30 saves.
The Blue Jackets had four minutes of power play time in the final 5:56 of regulation, but could not capitalize, continuing a long struggle with the man-advantage.
Dating back to Nov. 14, the Blue Jackets have gone 0-for-24 on the power play over nine games.
However, the Blue Jackets killed off a full two-minute 4-on-3 power play late in the overtime after Columbus was called for too many men on the ice.
The Panthers carried play in the first period, but didn't get on the board until a fluke goal scored early in the second.
It looked like Trochek, set up below the left circle, was trying to pass the puck across the goal mouth.
Instead, the puck kicked off the right skate of Blue Jackets defenseman Justin Falk and shot in the net past Bobrovsky at 1:16 of the second.
The Blue Jackets drew even later in the second, thanks to a goal from the newly-configured fourth line.
Chaput, called up from minor-league Lake Erie on Tuesday, found space in front of Montoya and waited on a teammate to find him with the puck.
Blue Jackets defenseman Andrew Bodnarchuk, who was called up from the minors just a week earlier, made a crisp centering pass, and Chaput lifted the puck up and over Montoya's extended right pad at 12:49.
It was Chaput's second career goal in 51 NHL games.
The Blue Jackets got a scare late in the second.
With 9.4 seconds remaining, Bobrovsky stopped a shot by Florida's Eric Gudbranson through traffic, but it appeared to strike him in the throat.
After clutching the puck, Bobrovsky slowly fell forward to the ice as play was blown dead. He was checked by trainers, but remained in the game and came back out for the third period.
NOTES: After hinting at lineup changes, Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella pulled a whopper just before faceoff last night: Veteran LW Scott Hartnell was made a healthy scratch. Hartnell took a late penalty leading to a game-winning power play goal by Montreal on Tuesday. ... Panthers C Aleksander Barkov has become a defensive dynamo for Florida. During a four game win streak, he's held the opponent's top centers -- New York Islanders' John Tavares, Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk, St. Louis' David Backes and Nashville's Mike Ribeiro -- without any points. ... The Blue Jackets signed former players C Manny Malhotra and D Jan Hejda to minor-league tryout contracts.