FLORIDA PANTHERS vs. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
APRIL 19, 2021
BB&T Center – Sunrise, Fla.
| FLORIDA PANTHERS | COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS |
| 4 | 2 |
- FLA improved to 29-12-5 and have earned at least a point in each of their past four games (3-0-1). The Cats are now 6-0-1 vs. CBJ this season.
- Sam Bennett scored his first goal as a Panther. He has produced three points (1-2-3) over his first two games with the club, and he recorded a point in each of his last six games played (1-7—8).
- Bennettalso registered his first fighting major as a Panther against CBJ defenseman Gavin Bayreuther.
- Anthony Duclair notched two assists. He has registered seven points (3-4-7) over his past six games played.
- Frank Vatrano tallied two goals, his first multi-goal game of the season. He has scored four goals over his past four games (4-0-4).
- Jonathan Huberdeau posted his team-leading 31st assist of the season, extending his point streak to four games (1-3-4). Huberdeau leads FLA with 46 points (15-31-46).
- Radko Gudas scored his second goal of the season. He has registered three points (2-1-3) over his past four games.
- Alex Wennberg produced an assist. He has recorded two assists over his past three games.
- Patric Hornqvist notched an assist, extending his point streak to three games (2-1-3).
- Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 34 of 36 CBJ shots (.944 save percentage).
- Aleksander Barkov recorded five takeaways, the most by any Panthers player in a game this season.
- Gudas and Brandon Montour led FLA with four hits each.
- Florida out-shot Columbus 39-36, led by Frank Vatrano (7).
- The Panthers won 37/59 faceoffs (63%).
PANTHERS POSTGAME QUOTES – APRIL 19, 2021
Head Coach Joel Quenneville
“Benny [forward Sam Bennett] has come in here from Calgary and he’s had a couple nice games for us. He gave us some presence physically and does what he has to do. That line looks like there’s some fun growing between the three of them.”
“[Forward Anthony Duclair] has been bringing speed to our team game. He’s got some explosive speed, quickness right out of the gate…And defensively I think his overall game has been better as we’ve gone along here. The consistency that we’re looking for from Duke has been in place. He’s very noticeable adding that type of an element to our team.”
Forward Anthony Duclair
“We’re still battling for that first spot in our division. For us, it doesn’t matter who we play, we’re all motivated. We just want to keep going and build some good habits.”
“The acquisition of (Sam) Bennett was huge for us. He’s a big force down the middle, obviously with Huby [forward Jonathan Huberdeau] one of the best playmakers in the league. Like I said, I’ve just got to get open and they’ll find me.”
“We kept things simple, we don’t want to be too fancy out there. This is a team that works hard night in and night out, no matters who’s in the lineup.”
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky
“It was a good game. Sometimes it’s not easy to play those games where an opponent has nothing to lose. I thought the guys were strong and played solid, solid offensively and defensively when it’s needed.”
“We’ve got some new guys and we just keep building our game. Everybody keeps delivering and everybody brings their energy to the table.”
“It’s always fun to win and definitely against the former team. It definitely gives you a little bit more of an edge. I’m happy to have those numbers against Columbus but when every game is so important, every game is fighting for two points, you just focus and don’t think too much about the outside.”
Defenseman Radko Gudas
“I’m happy with the way we responded and the way we played.”
“[Forward Sam Bennett] uses his body really well, he’s a great presence on the ice, he does the little things right. It was awesome to see him come in and make sure guys don’t take advantage of us…Great response from him and the team.”
“We try to make the new guys feel as welcome as we can and we’re trying to play as one big unit, one man. We have each other’s backs and the guys can feel that.”
