SUNRISE — Someone mentioned to Sam Reinhart about the game Sergei Bobrovsky played not only Thursday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets, but last Friday night in Detroit.
“Yeah, ‘vintage’ is a good word,’’ Reinhart said after his overtime goal lifted the Panthers to their third straight win, this one 2-1 over the Columbus Blue Jackets with Bobrovsky making 30 saves.
“We know he’s capable in there and we believe he has plenty left in the tank. Performances like that gives us belief.’’
Bobrovsky’s stats, as we all know, could be better this season.
But his past two starts have been, well, ‘vintage’ Bobrovsky.
Last Friday in Detroit, hours after the NHL Trade Deadline had passed, Bobrovsky stopped 27 shots in a 3-1 win over a Red Wings team pressing to make the postseason for the first time in almost a decade.
There had been rumors circulating Bobrovsky could be on his way out at the deadline — talk that Paul Maurice says was more gristle for the Canadian rumor mill than truth.
He said there was much more talk outside the Panthers than in.
Bobrovsky reiterated Thursday that he “loves the team, love the organization, love the guys, love everything.’’
And, if it was up to Matthew Tkachuk, well, Bobrovsky isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
“We had no idea what he was going through, what was going on, really,’’ Tkachuk said in Detroit. “For him to come out here and do that, after lots of chatter. No one knew what would happen. But there is no other goalie we want to play in front of.
“He is the backbone, the biggest reason why we have two Stanley Cup rings. He is one of the biggest reasons why this organization is where it is at. Yeah, no other guy we want to play in front of right now.’’
Bobrovsky certainly was the backbone of Thursday’s win.
The Blue Jackets, like Detroit in the thick of the playoff race, came out flying against their former goalie.
Bobrovsky was spectacular in the first two periods, stopping the first 20 shots he faced with the Panthers not getting much going.
Florida went into the third down 1-0 but started the period on the power play.
Sam Bennett tied it early in the third, and the Panthers started to push.
Both goalies were strong.
Then came overtime.
Tkachuk drew a penalty on Adam Fantilli as he drove on Elvis Merzlikins — one Fantilli claimed was a dive by No. 19 — and Reinhart won it soon afterward.
Fantilli can say what he wants, but his stick hit Tkachuk’s skates. That’s going to get called time and again. It could have been a penalty shot.
“We gave up 16 shots on net for 60 minutes. We dominated the game,’’ said Columbus coach Rick Bowness, whose team rides an eight-game point streak (4-0-4) into Philadelphia.
“Give Bob credit; he was the difference in the game, simple as that. We had our chances in overtime and missed the net by inches. They get the power play. But overall, for 60 minutes, very happy with what we saw. Sometimes the goalie is better than your shooters. That’s the case tonight.”
With the point, Columbus closed to within a point of Boston for the final wild-card spot — with Florida now nine behind the Bruins with 18 to play.
Too little, too late?
“This is not what we expect. It’s certainly tough to be this far out at this time of the year,’’ Reinhart said.
“But it says a lot about us that we’re able to hang in there and rattle off a few.”
ON DECK: GAME No. 66
FLORIDA PANTHERS at SEATTLE KRAKEN
