Oct 15, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins (90) makes a save as Florida Panthers center Carter Verhaeghe (23) looks for a rebound during the third period at Nationwide Arena. (Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/b50bd115-2687-4817-b520-0c130f448087.jpeg] Oct 15, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins (90) makes a save as Florida Panthers center Carter Verhaeghe (23) looks for a rebound during the third period at Nationwide Arena. (Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images) It's been a busy week for the Florida Panthers both on and off the ice. Florida enters Thursday having won four consecutive games and holding an impressive 10-2-0 record since late January, putting the Cats in a neck-and-neck race with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the top spot in the Atlantic Division. The Panthers have also been working hard to fortify their roster ahead of what they hope is another Stanley Cup title run, adding defenseman Seth Jones and goaltender Vitek Vanecek, as well as former top prospect Jesse Puljujarvi, over the past few days. Panthers General Manager Bill Zito may not be done ahead of Friday’s Trade Deadline, so we’ll see how things play out in that regard over the next day. Arriving in South Florida for a Thursday night rumble are the surprising Columbus Blue Jackets. Entering play Thursday, Columbus has sole possession of the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, four points back of third place New Jersey with two games in hand. The Blue Jackets have been one of the league’s best teams on home ice this season, boasting a 20-6-4 mark at Nationwide Arena, but this game will be played on the Panthers turf. Columbus is a much less impressive 10-17-4 on the road, where they’ve lost three of their past four following Tuesday’s 6-2 defeat in Tampa. Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Thursday's clash with Columbus: Carter Verhaeghe – Sasha Barkov – Sam Reinhart Mackie Samoskevich – Sam Bennett – Evan Rodrigues Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Jesper Boqvist A.J. Greer – Tomas Nosek – Jonah Gadjovich Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones Nate Schmidt – Dmitry Kulikov Scratches: Uvis Balinskis, Chris Driedger LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Florida Panthers sign Jesse Puljujarvi to 1-year, 2-way contract after stint with AHL affiliate [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/florida-panthers-sign-jesse-puljujarvi-to-1-year-2-way-contract-after-stint-with-ahl-affiliate] Panthers acquire veteran goaltender Vitek Vanecek from San Jose [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/panthers-acquire-veteran-goaltender-vitek-vanecek-from-san-jose] Former Panthers All-Star defenseman call acquiring Seth Jones 'a home run deal for Florida' [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/former-panthers-all-star-defenseman-call-acquiring-seth-jones-a-home-run-deal-for-florida] Panthers continue fortifying roster, sign forward Jesper Boqvist to 2-year extension [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/players/panthers-continue-fortifying-roster-sign-forward-jesper-boqvist-to-2-year-extension] Three takeaways: Sasha Barkov shows hunger to score, Seth Jones kills on PK [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/three-takeaways-sasha-barkov-shows-hunger-to-score-seth-jones-kills-on-pk]
