Panthers topple Blue Jackets, record back-to-back shutouts for the first time in seven years

Sam Reinhart is second in the NHL with 54 goals.

Forwards Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov are the Florida Panthers’ biggest stars, and Carter Verhaeghe is second on the team with 33 goals.

But even with all their firepower, the Panthers’ biggest strength is defense.

That was evident yet again on Thursday night as the host Panthers blanked the Columbus Blue Jackets, 4-0.

Sergei Bobrovsky made 25 saves to earn what became the Panthers’ second straight shutout. Backup goalie Anthony Stolarz blanked the Ottawa Senators 2-0 on Tuesday.

It’s clear Bobrovsky and Stolarz have bonded this season as Florida’s last line of defense.

“I love him,” Bobrovsky said of Stolarz. “He’s a great teammate and a great goalie. I’m so happy to see him have success.”

It’s a credit to those two men — and the entire team — that the Panthers entered Thursday’s contest leading the NHL in fewest goals allowed at 2.46 per game.

The Panthers also have eight shutouts, which is tied for the NHL lead.

“We didn’t’ cheat the game to try to generate [goals],” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said after the franchise produced consecutive shutouts for the first time in seven years.

“There wasn’t any casualness in our game. It was smartly played.”

The Panthers got goals from Reinhart, Tkachuk, Evan Rodriguez and Vladimir Tarasenko, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson added two assists.

Reinhart also had an assist, giving him a team-high 92 points. Reinhart broke a tie with Edmonton’s Zach Hyman, who also started the day with 53 goals.

The Panthers (50-24-6, 106 points), who have already clinched the playoffs, have two regular-season games remaining, both at home. They are one point behind Boston in the battle for first place in that Atlantic Division, although the Bruins have played one less game.

This is just the second time in Panthers history that they have reached 50 wins. The other time happened in 2021-2022, when the Panthers won 58 games.

But, in reality, the Panthers aren’t thinking about those milestones.

They’re thinking about just one thing.

“Everybody can feel the playoffs coming,” Maurice said. “There’s no concern about our energy level for the playoffs. None.

“The guys have been waiting for this all year. They will be ready.”

They looked it on Thursday as it took Tkachuk just 47 seconds to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead, ripping a shot in off the left post.

Columbus goalie Jet Greaves, an undrafted 23-year-old rookie making just his seventh NHL start, then made the next 26 saves before the Panthers scored twice in the final three minutes of the second period.

First, Rodrigues scored a tap-in goal off a pass from Anton Lundell.

Then, Reinhart used a screen from Vladimir Tarasenko to score on the open left side of the net.

Tarasenko closed the scoring with 2:17 left in the third, scoring on a rebound off a Gustav Forsling shot.

Maurice said he likes his fairly new line of Lundell, Rodrigues and Eetu Luostarinen.

“Anton made a comment a few months back that he likes playing with Evan, and you can tell,” Maurice said.

“They each bring a little something different. They are on the puck. They generate.”

The Panthers would love to win their final two games — Saturday against Buffalo and Tuesday versus Toronto — so they can try to claim the division title. In addition, the Panthers can clinch home-ice in the first round of the playoffs by winning Saturday or even taking Buffalo to overtime.

Forward Verhaeghe and defenseman Aaron Ekblad are expected to return from the injured list in time to start the playoffs.

Given that, Maurice said Thursday that he is “95 percent” settled on his playoff lineup.

“The question will be the fourth line,” Maurice said. “Some of that will be on the health of [the players].”

Fourth-line forwards Steven Lorentz and Kyle Okposo rotated into the lineup on Thursday, playing alongside Kevin Stenlund on that fourth line.

Ryan Lomberg and Jonah Gadjovich were healthy scratches, but they could just as easily be back on that fourth line come the playoffs.

“There’s not a huge divide between our fourth and fifth lines other than Stenlund because of his penalty-killing,” Maurice said. “That means they will all play [in the postseason] if we’re lucky [and make a deep run].”