National Hockey League
Florida 2, Columbus 1
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, November 26, 2016
Where: BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida
Referees: Eric Furlatt, Jean Hebert
Linesmen: Greg Devorski, Pierre Racicot
Attendance: 13573

SUNRISE, Fla. -- NHL teams have to beat the Florida Panthers in regulation ... or they likely won't go home happy.

The latter was the case for the Columbus Blue Jackets, who lost 2-1 in a shootout at the BB&T Center on Saturday night.

Columbus could not get anything past Florida goalie Roberto Luongo (36 saves) in overtime or in the shootout.

Florida got a goal in regulation from Jaromir Jagr, who at 44 is the oldest player in the league, and the game-winner in the shootout from his 21-year-old linemate, Aleksander Barkov.

The Panthers (11-9-1) are 6-1 in overtime/shootout games this season, and their six wins after regulation lead the league.

Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky played well, making 22 saves for Columbus (11-5-4).

Barkov roofed a backhander to beat Bobrovsky for the only goal in the shootout. Barkov had also scored on his most recent shootout try prior to Saturday, beating Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers in a 3-2 win last Sunday.

"When you score goals, you feel more confident," Barkov said. "Of course I want to score in regulation. But if I get a chance to score in a shootout and win a game for our team, I love to do that, too."

Ironically, Barkov and Jagr entered Saturday's game slumping, with just two goals each in regulation.

But Jagr scored career goal No. 752 in the first period, and then came the shootout.

Columbus went first, and Sam Gagner's try went wide left. Florida's Vincent Trocheck scored, but it was disallowed because it was on a rebound, which is not permissible in shootouts.

Cam Atkinson tried to go five-hole on Luongo but was turned aside. Then, after Barkov scored, Luongo ended the game by stopping Alexander Wennberg's backhand try.

In regulation, Luongo was working on a shutout before Brandon Saad scored for Columbus with 7:10 left in the third period. It was Saad's sixth goal of the season.

Columbus coach John Tortorella said he was pleased with how his team battled from behind to salvage one point, even though it was the tired Blue Jackets' fifth game in seven nights.

Still, Tortorella said, Columbus missed on some chances.

"Early in the game, I thought Louie was leaving some rebounds, and we weren't there," Tortorella said. "As the game went on, (Luongo) got better.

"A lot of our offense ... we were 'almost' all night long."

It didn't help that Columbus, which entered with the No. 1 power play in the NHL, went 0-for-2 with the man advantage. Columbus got four shots on goal during their power plays.

But despite the loss, Columbus went 8-2-3 this month, setting a franchise record for most November points (19).

Jagr's goal came with 3:15 left in the first period. The wild sequence started with a three-on-two Columbus rush that was thwarted by a Luongo save on a Nick Foligno shot.

Florida counterattacked and Barkov, working behind the Columbus net, passed to the slot area, finding Jagr for a one-timer. Jagr did not get much velocity on his shot, but it was enough to slide it through Bobrovsky's pads.

Shawn Thornton, Florida's 39-year-old left winger, got the secondary assist for his first point of the season. He had been a healthy scratch in all but three games prior to Saturday.

"Barkie's been asking to play with me for like three years," Thornton joked. "I knew he wasn't going to waste (the opportunity) in the 15 seconds we had out there (together). That's what he told me anyway."

Saad's goal, with assists from Cam Atkinson and Brandon Dubinsky, tied the score 1-1. After Dubinsky won an offensive-zone face-off, Saad scored from low on the right circle.

With his back to the goal, Saad took a whack at the puck and found the back of the net.

"That was a good face-off play -- good win by Dubie," Saad said. "Cam tried to get it through, and the puck kind of fell right in my lap."

But that was all Columbus would get.

"We knew they are a different team this year, more skilled," Barkov said of the Blue Jackets. "But we took their skilled players away."

NOTES: Columbus promoted C Justin Scott from the AHL and placed fourth-line LW Matt Calvert (upper body) on injured reserve. Scott was a healthy scratch along with D Scott Harrington. ... Columbus was also without RW David Clarkson (back) and D Dalton Prout (upper body). ... Florida sent C Greg McKegg to its AHL affiliate in Springfield. ... Florida has D Alex Petrovic (broken ankle) and C Jonathan Huberdeau (Achilles) on injured reserve. ... Florida scratched D Dylan McIlrath and RW Kyle Rau. ... Panthers coach Gerard Gallant was behind the bench as usual despite missing Friday's practice due to an illness. ... The Panthers open a season-long six-game road trip on Sunday at the Carolina Hurricanes. The Panthers return home on Dec. 8 to face the Pittsburgh Penguins. ... The Blue Jackets return home on Tuesday to face the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Top Game Performances
 
Columbus   Florida
Brandon Saad 1 Points Jaromir Jagr 1
Brandon Saad 1 Goals Jaromir Jagr 1
Cam Atkinson 1 Assists Aleksander Barkov 1
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Sergei Bobrovsky .957 Save Percentage Roberto Luongo .973
Sergei Bobrovsky 22 Saves Roberto Luongo 36
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Columbus 37 1 0-2 2-2 4 27
Florida 23 2 0-2 2-2 4 35
Upcoming Games
  • Florida will play their next game on the road against Carolina. The Panthers have a W/L % of .364 after a win and .700 after a loss.
  • Columbus will play their next game at home against Tampa Bay. The Blue Jackets have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .625 after a loss.