Sam Reinhart recorded his first hat trick with the Florida Panthers in a 8-4 rout of the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night — and that was only the third-best performance on his line in the game.
That’s how it goes when his fellow forwards tied or broke franchise records.
Mason Marchment tied Florida’s single-game franchise record with six points (two goals, four assists). Anton Lundell set the Panthers’ rookie record with five points (all assists).
The trio provided Florida’s offensive spark early at Nationwide Arena and gave the Panthers (32-9-5) enough of a cushion to withstand some early defensive miscues before Florida pulled away for good late.
“When we’re moving the puck quick, we open things up for each other,” Reinhart, who is up to 15 goals on the season, said in an intermission interview on Bally Sports Florida. “When we’ve been successful tonight, that’s where it’s stemming from.”
And the success will be recognized in the Panthers’ record book.
Marchment became just the second player in Panthers history to have a six-point game. He joins Olli Jokinen, who accomplished the feat on March 17, 2007.
Marchment opened scoring 32 seconds into the game, with a snipe from the slot that got past Elvis Merzlikins. He then assisted on four of the Panthers’ next six goals before scoring again 27 seconds into the third period. Marchment now has 23 points in 21 games played this season.
Lundell’s five points are the most ever by a Panthers rookie in a single game. The 20-year-old had five assists — two primary assists, three secondary assists. Four other Panthers rookies have posted four-point nights — Jesse Belanger (Jan. 19, 1994), Mark Parrish (Oct. 30, 1998), Jonathan Huberdeau (Feb. 21, 2013) and Juho Lammikko (Nov. 19, 2018) — but none got to five until Lundell, who now has 32 points on the season and is a dark horse for the Calder Trophy given annually to the NHL’s top rookie.
The only other Panthers player with a five-assist night? Aleksander Barkov on March 8, 2019.
But the early production from Reinhart, Marchment and Lundell was nearly for naught.
The Panthers only led 5-4 midway through the second period, with Florida allowing the Blue Jackets (20-22-1) to score three goals after bad turnovers in the defensive zone. The fourth goal came on a first-period Columbus power play.
But two goals in the span of 15 seconds — first Owen Tippett, then MacKenzie Weegar — pushed the Panthers’ lead up to 7-4 at the end of the second period. Marchment’s second goal and record-tying sixth point came 27 seconds into the third period.
Barkov also scored his team-high-tying 21st goal in the first period on the power play, with Huberdeau getting his NHL-leading 46th assist and 63rd point in the process.
But the superstars became secondary on Monday as the trio of Marchment, Lundell and Reinhart paved the way.
Up next
The Panthers face the New York Rangers on Tuesday in their final game before the All-Star Break.
Florida’s next game after that isn’t until Feb. 16 against the Carolina Hurricanes.
