Carter Verhaeghe's four goals, including a natural hat trick, helped the Florida Panthers dominate the Blue Jackets Saturday at Nationwide Arena.
1st Period
Matthew Tkachuk nearly opened the scoring for Florida at 7:54 but was denied by Michael Hutchinson at the doorstep.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE JACKETS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FLA PANTHERS | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
Sam Reinhart put the Panthers on the board first at 12:03 on the power play, finishing off a sweet tic-tac-toe passing sequence.
#TimeToHunt Reinhart goal pic.twitter.com/cLYFDyEWfz
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) April 1, 2023
Verhaeghe doubled Florida's lead at 17:29 with a one-timer from the low slot off a cross-ice feed from Gustav Forsling.
#TimeToHunt Verhaeghe goal pic.twitter.com/LiimivKS3K
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) April 1, 2023
The Panthers took a 2-0 lead into the second period along with a 13-5 edge in shots on goal.
2nd Period
Verhaeghe scored his second of the game at 0:18 one a wide-open net off a rebound when he was left open at the left doorstep.
#TimeToHunt Verhaeghe goal pic.twitter.com/gZ1jaOzFGA
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) April 2, 2023
At 6:34, Verhaeghe completed his natural hat trick with a wicked wrist shot from the left circle.
#TimeToHunt Verhaeghe goal pic.twitter.com/7MtK0BPhkh
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) April 2, 2023
The Panthers led 4-0 heading into the final period of regulation with a 28-12 edge in shots on goal.
3rd Period
Hutchinson denied Tkachuk again on a breakaway at 7:46.
Cousins put Florida up 5-0 at 8:34, going up top on a wrist shot from the left circle.
#TimeToHunt Cousins goal pic.twitter.com/S2nJCVWWX3
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) April 2, 2023
Verhaeghe scored his fourth of the game at 11:18, tipping in a pass from the left doorstep.
#TimeToHunt Verhaeghe goal pic.twitter.com/WqNDomeDnI
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) April 2, 2023
Eric Staal scored from the right doorstep following a net-mouth scramble at 14:16.
#TimeToHunt Staal goal pic.twitter.com/tvQJfyygZ3
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) April 2, 2023
With the 7-0 loss, the Blue Jackets fall to 23-44-8.
Stats
- Shots on Goal: FLA 49-21 CBJ
- Faceoff %: FLA 57.1-42.9 CBJ
- Power play: FLA 1/3-0/4 CBJ
- Takeaways: FLA 2-7 CBJ
- Giveaways: FLA 5-5 CBJ
- Blocked shots: FLA 11-18 CBJ
- Hits: FLA 18-28 CBJ
-
5-on-5 stats (via naturalstattrick.com):
- Expected Goals (xG): FLA 4.20-0.93 CBJ
- Chances (CF): FLA 76-29 CBJ
- Shots (SF): FLA 41-12 CBJ
- Scoring Chances (SCF): FLA 40-13 CBJ
- High-Danger Chances (HDCF): FLA 18-5 CBJ
Injury Update
Jack Roslovic, Lane Pederson, and Adam Boqvist (illness) did not play in tonight's game. Roslovic and Pederson were both injured in Thursday's game while Boqvist is missing his second-consecutive game.
Next Up
The Jackets are back in action at home against the Ottawa Senators Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Ohio.
The Jackets travel north of the border to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Ohio.
