Markstrom Holds the Fort as Florida Leaves Columbus 4-1 Winners
Columbus fired far more pucks, but Bennett's pair and a calm Panthers net sent the Blue Jackets home empty-handed.
Florida won 4-1 in Columbus, but the score makes it look easier than it was. Columbus threw far more pucks at the net all night, and Jacob Markstrom turned aside nearly all of them.
The Blue Jackets put 37 shots on goal to Florida's 28 and took 60.3% of the game's shot attempts (every puck fired toward the net, blocked or not). Markstrom stopped 36 of those 37 shots, including four of the five best chances he faced.
Here's the twist: the volume didn't mean better looks. Florida's chances were actually a touch more dangerous over the full game, so the Panthers weren't simply hanging on. Columbus shot often from spots that rarely beat a goalie.
At the other end, Cam Talbot made 24 saves on 27 shots, roughly what his workload called for. Sam Bennett scored twice on four shots, and Sam Reinhart got his goal off the best chances of any skater. Ivan Provorov broke Markstrom's shutout bid. No shots rang off the iron.
