December 6, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers left wing Brad Marchand (63) and Columbus Blue Jackets center Sean Monahan (23) compete for puck possession in the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Image With six weeks remaining in the regular season, the surging Columbus Blue Jackets are closer to a playoff position than the two-time Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.
The host Blue Jackets, hoping to get star defenseman Zach Werenski back in the lineup, can snap a three-game winning streak after snapping a fourth straight loss to the Panthers on Thursday night.
Columbus, which last made the playoffs in 2020, is 13-2-1 since Jan. 11 and is three points behind the Boston Bruins for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Perhaps more impressive is that the Blue Jackets have won their last two games without leading scorer Werenski, a Norris Trophy contender and recent Olympic gold medal winner who is suffering from an illness.
Columbus trailed the Nashville Predators twice on Tuesday, but Sean Monaghan and Charlie Coyle scored their third goals in the opener of a four-game homestand to win 3-2. The Blue Jackets are 5-0-1 at home.
“We’ve got to be desperate. We’ve got to win games. We need points and we’ve got to get ourselves back in the mix,” Monaghan, who has had short-handed goals in each of the last two games, told FanDuel Sports Network Columbus.
“We have to keep doing this.”
Coyle has six goals and 10 assists in his last 10 games, while teammate Adam Pantilli has scored in four straight games. Pantilli, who has 12 points in his last 10 games, had an assist during the Blue Jackets’ 7-6 overtime loss at Florida on Dec. 6.
“I’ve been trying to play like this all year and I’ve said this all year: I love my game,” Fantilli said. “I have matured a lot. Now I am starting to reap the rewards.”
Columbus is 0-6-3 against Florida since a 5-3 win on Nov. 20, 2022, but the Panthers are stuck in a 2-8-0 rut and sit third-bottom in the East with 63 points. That puts them in 7th place, behind the Blue Jackets.
Florida has allowed 40 goals in its last 10 games, most recently losing 5-1 to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.
“We know how it is,” said Anton Lundell, who scored the Panthers’ only goal.
Florida, which has been plagued by injuries all season, has given up 21 goals during its current four-game losing streak.
“You can’t look at the math,” said Panthers forward Tomas Nosek, who made his season debut Tuesday after knee surgery. “Once you start looking at the math, it’s nothing. You just have to focus on the next game and win the next game. That’s it.”
Sergei Bobrovsky (.873 save percentage) stopped 28 of 31 shots he faced for the Panthers on Tuesday. He made 25 saves in a game against Columbus earlier this season.
Backup Daniil Tarasov has given up 12 goals in a three-game losing streak.
Columbus’ Elvis Merzlikins made 33 saves against Florida in December. He stopped both shots he faced Tuesday after starting pitcher Jett Greaves briefly sat out after a collision and was tested for a concussion. Greaves returned and made 21 saves.
Merzlikins has won five of his last six starts, posting a .909 save percentage. Greaves has a 5-0-1 record and a .913 save percentage.
–Field level media
