Panthers Ride Four Goals to a 4-1 Win in Columbus

Florida walked into Columbus and left with a 4-1 win, and the scoreboard tells most of the story. The Panthers got four goals past the Blue Jackets, and Columbus could only find one of its own. When a home team is held to a single goal, it has to ask hard questions about what went wrong, and the Blue Jackets have plenty to answer for after this one.

Florida did what good teams do on the road: it took the game it was given and made it theirs. Four goals is a comfortable cushion in the NHL, and the Panthers never looked like a team that needed a late rally to finish the job. Columbus got its lone goal, but a single tally against a team that scores four is a losing formula, and the Blue Jackets never found a way to make the scoreboard uncomfortable for Florida.

We didn't put a pick on this one, so there's no ticket to cash or burn. What we can say is that the Panthers turned in a clean, professional road win, and the Blue Jackets have some film to watch before their next home game. Florida gets the two points and the bragging rights, and Columbus gets a long flight home to think about it. Next up, let's see whether Columbus can answer back at home.