Columbus Blue Jackets (26-23-1, fifth in the Metropolitan) vs. Florida Panthers (35-11-5, first in the Atlantic)
Sunrise, Florida; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Jonathan Huberdeau leads Florida into a matchup against Columbus. He's first in the league with 72 points, scoring 17 goals and recording 55 assists.
The Panthers are 20-5-3 in Eastern Conference games. Florida averages 9.6 penalty minutes per game, the ninth-most in the league. Radko Gudas leads the team serving 63 total minutes.
The Blue Jackets are 14-14-0 in Eastern Conference play. Columbus ranks sixth in the Eastern Conference averaging 3.3 goals per game, led by Boone Jenner with 21.
In their last meeting on Jan. 31, Florida won 8-4. Mason Marchment recorded a team-high 6 points for the Panthers.
TOP PERFORMERS: Aleksander Barkov leads the Panthers with 23 goals and has 45 points. Huberdeau has two goals and 15 assists over the last 10 games for Florida.
Sean Kuraly leads the Blue Jackets with a plus-nine in 50 games this season. Patrik Laine has 12 goals and eight assists over the last 10 games for Columbus.
LAST 10 GAMES: Panthers: 7-3-0, averaging 4.5 goals, 7.3 assists, 4.2 penalties and 9.3 penalty minutes while giving up 3.1 goals per game with an .894 save percentage.
Blue Jackets: 8-2-0, averaging 4.6 goals, 7.2 assists, 2.9 penalties and 5.8 penalty minutes while allowing 3.8 goals per game with an .892 save percentage.
INJURIES: Panthers: Jonas Johansson: out (covid-19), Markus Nutivaara: out (undisclosed).
Blue Jackets: Joonas Korpisalo: day to day (lower body), Emil Bemstrom: out (health protocols), Elvis Merzlikins: day to day (lower body).
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