SUNRISE — It had been a minute since the Florida Panthers had the music cranked up in their workout room at Amerant Bank Arena following a game.
And, for a while there, it did not look like the tunes were going to popping on Saturday night.
Not when the Columbus Blue Jackets took a three-goal lead in the second. Or a two-goal lead in the third.
But the Panthers battled back, and got a 7-6 overtime win that had Sam Bennett shrugging his shoulders at the end of his postgame interview with Katie Engleson.
Yeah, the whole ‘6-7’ thing was a point of conversation following Florida’s big comeback win.
It was certainly a feel-good night for the Panthers.
Have not been a lot of those, lately.
“This team, for a long time, has shown a lot of fight, a lot of resilience,’’ Bennett said. “We haven’t really been able to get many comeback wins this year, so that’s big for our group. We’ve shown that we are going to fight to the end every game and it’s nice to get rewarded.”
Florida did not get rattled when the Blue Jackets scored three straight goals in the second for a 4-1 lead.
The Panthers got the first of two Carter Verhaeghe goals — one of which off a controversial video review that left Columbus coach Dean Evason fuming, the second coming off the ensuing power play after the failed challenge — to cut the deficit to 4-3.
Florida tied the score on a power-play point shot from former Columbus d-man Seth Jones only the Blue Jackets got two more and looked to be on their way to a third straight win.
Instead, Brad Marchand and Anton Lundell scored allowing Bennett to score the game-winner with 3.2 seconds left in overtime.
The 7-6 overtime win snapped Florida’s four-game losing streak as well as the five-game home slide that was the team’s longest since 2020.
Saturday also made history: It was the first time the Panthers ever won by after overcoming a multi-goal deficit in two different periods. Florida did that twice before in 2002 and 1996, but the games ended in a tie.
“This team is built on not quitting and being able to battle through adversity, and we showed that again tonight,’’ said Marchand, who had a goal with three assists as did Bennett.
“When you’re challenged like that, the way we have been this season, it’s great for the group. It really tests you, tests you as a group and brings a lot out of you. It’s a great opportunity for us to respond and push through that.”
Florida continued its dominance over the Blue Jackets with its ninth straight win over Columbus even if Sergei Bobrovsky did not exactly shut them out as he usually does.
Although the loss left Evason and his team a touch salty, the Blue Jackets did get a point.
As tight as the Eastern Conference is, it may come in handy. Florida and Columbus just may be fighting for a playoff spot come the end of the season.
The Panthers were just happy to get a win.
Things had been getting a little tight around the Panthers and Saturday lightened the mood considerably.
“Emotionally, we needed that game,’’ Paul Maurice said. “It’s to cut off the losses. But also, that group of men was given every opportunity to continue to be a victim of some of the things that have happened on the ice and they wouldn’t take it. So, good on them. I’m proud of them.”
On Sunday, the Panthers wrap up this season-long six-game homestand with the New York Islanders in town.
The Isles are coming off a 2-0 win in Tampa on Saturday, so they are feeling pretty good about things themselves.
ON DECK: GAME No. 28
NEW YORK ISLANDERS at FLORIDA PANTHERS
