The Florida Panthers arrive in Columbus on Tuesday with a different look than the one that opened the season, and the biggest storyline is squarely on Brady Tkachuk. After a summer full of trade rumors, Team USA’s captain was dealt to Florida for the long-awaited brother act with Matthew Tkachuk, but the production has lagged behind the hype. Brady still has no goals through his first five games, though he did pick up an assist in yesterday’s loss to Buffalo, and he now skates on a line with Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett.
That trio is the one Columbus has to manage in the fourth annual Frozen Frenzy showcase, a night when all 32 NHL teams are in action and ESPN2 shifts from game to game with whip-around coverage. The odd 6:15 p.m. puck drop at Nationwide Arena fits the format, and the Blue Jackets will try to use home ice to get something going against a Florida team that sits at 2-2-2.
There are injury questions on the Panthers’ side as well. Jacob Markstrom was pulled after the first period in Buffalo yesterday, and while that was described as precautionary, it’s not yet clear whether he’ll be available.
If he can’t go, Akira Schmid is lined up to start. Florida is also without Sasha Barkov, who suffered another knee injury after missing all of last season with a torn ACL and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks.
Brad Marchand is hurt too and is set to be out at least that long.
Columbus comes in at 2-2-0 and has some lineup decisions of its own. Based on practice combinations, Jake Christiansen appears set to play for a second straight game, even as Ivan Provorov continues to work his way back. The Jackets also have the benefit of this game being nearly finished by the time ALCS Game 2 starts, which should make for an easy night of channel-flipping.
The Blue Jackets have not been shy offensively through four games, averaging 3.00 goals per game, but they’ve also given up 3.50 per night. Florida’s numbers tell a different story: the Panthers have controlled a strong share of the shot attempts at five-on-five, but they’ve struggled to finish, sitting at 2.00 goals per game. That contrast sets up a classic early-season problem for both sides - one team with the edge in underlying play, the other with the edge in scoring.
Projected to lead the Jackets’ attack are Matthew Knies, Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson on the top line, with Valeri Nichushkin, Sean Monahan and Conor Garland behind them. Zach Werenski anchors the blue line, while Jet Greaves is listed first in goal over Cam Talbot.
Florida’s lineup, meanwhile, still starts with plenty of star power even with the injuries. Matthew Tkachuk joins Brady Tkachuk and Sam Bennett on the top line, with Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Reinhart and Sam Lafferty next. Gustav Forsling and Aaron Ekblad headline the defense, and either Markstrom or Schmid figures to handle the crease depending on how the pregame decision breaks.
This is the first of three meetings between the teams, with the Panthers and Blue Jackets set to meet again on November 10 in Columbus before finishing the season series in Florida on March 30.
In Other News...
Rick Bowness Calls Out Blue Jackets Over Effort And Standards
Rick Bowness did not try to soften the blow after Columbus was routed by Florida, a 7-3 loss that left the Blue Jackets searching for answers yet again. The coach was plainly frustrated by the way his team played, hoping the performance serves as a jolt for a group that has now dropped three of its last four and continues to fight for consistency early in the season.
The Panthers took control behind Brady Tkachuks natural hat trick, but for Bowness the larger issue has been the same one he has raised before: effort, culture and the standard the Blue Jackets are supposed to meet every night. He has already spent parts of the 2025-26 season challenging his roster on those fronts, and after another uneven showing, the message is becoming impossible to miss. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Let A Strong Start Slip After A Costly Turning Point
Connor Garland was in the lineup despite being sick, and the early going had the feel of a game the Blue Jackets could still steer their way. They got production from KJ and Brady in the first two periods, while the overall pace and penalty volume kept special teams in the spotlight and made every shift feel a little heavier than usual.
Then the turning point arrived, and it swung the game hard. A slashing penalty on Mathieu Olivier led to a lengthy major and opened the door for the other side to seize control, with the momentum of the night shifting on special teams in a way Columbus could not answer. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Suddenly Have A Mathieu Olivier Problem They Can't Ignore
Mathieu Olivier has spent enough time around the Blue Jackets to know what kind of edge he brings to the lineup, but lately that edge has started to cut both ways. In a recent game against the Florida Panthers, the Columbus forward was sent off with a five-minute major and a game misconduct after slashing defenseman Uvis Balinskis in a sensitive area, a sequence that quickly turned an already tense night into one the Blue Jackets had to absorb shorthanded.
It was the third time in five games that Oliviers decisions have worked against Columbus, after an unsportsmanlike penalty on opening night and a fight with Ross Johnston that came at a moment when the games momentum shifted away from the Blue Jackets. For a player whose style is supposed to help set a tone, the larger concern now is whether the team can keep paying for those flashes of agitation, especially with no word yet from the NHLs Department of Player Safety on whether further discipline is coming. [Read more 🡒]