Reinhart Hat Trick Leads Panthers Over Blue Jackets 8-4
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Sam Reinhart had his fifth career hat trick to lift the Florida Panthers over the Columbus Blue Jackets 8-4 Monday for their fourth straight win.
Mason Marchment had two goals and four assists for a career-high six points to help Florida secure the top spot in the NHL standings heading into the All-Star break. Aleksander Barkov, Owen Tippett and MacKenzie Weegar also scored, and Reinhart added an assist.
Anton Lundell had a career-high five assists to put him third among rookies this season with 22 and tied the franchise record.
The Panthers' 75 goals in January are the most by any NHL team in a calendar month in the last 25 seasons. Florida's 12 wins this month is a team record.
Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 32 shots for his 23rd win and sixth straight against Columbus, where he played seven seasons.
Patrik Laine had two goals, and Gus Nyquist and Emil Bemstrom also scored for the Blue Jackets, who dropped their eighth straight to the Panthers — including a 9-2 drubbing 16 days ago — and fourth of five games at home. Elvis Merzlikins, who gave up four goals on 11 first-period shots, made 11 stops in the second period before Joonas Korpisalo came in for the third period, stopping 13.
Marchment put the Panthers ahead with a shot from the slot just 32 seconds into the game for his fourth straight game with a goal. Reinhart made it 2-0 with a top-shelf shot from the baseline at 3:23.
Nyquist's wrister from the blueline put Columbus on the board at 4:20, before Barkov made it 3-1, 32 seconds into a Panthers power-play for his team-leading sixth score with a man advantage.
Reinhart one-timed a perfect pass from Marchment on the rush to make it 4-1, before Laine cut it to 4-2 with seven seconds left in the first period off a steal by Jakub Voracek.
Reinhart's third goal off a breakaway at 4:27 made it 5-2 before Bemstrom cut into the lead 1:07 later, burying a behind-the-net pass from Jack Roslevic.
Laine pulled Columbus within a goal at 11:45 of the second, but Tippett scored at 17:07 and Weegar hit the net 15 seconds later to make it 7-4. Marchment gave Florida a 8-4 lead 27 seconds into the third period.
NEXT UP
Panthers: At the New York Rangers on Tuesday night.
Columbus: At Washington on Feb. 8.
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