The Columbus Blue Jackets are oh so close to moving into a playoff spot as they move further into the final quarter of the regular season. On Thursday, they were on the road to take on the Florida Panthers, the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, who are fading out of the post-season picture.

The Blue Jackets came out hot in the first period, outshooting Florida 14-3 in the first period. It was, however, the outstanding play of former Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky that kept Columbus off the board. The Blue Jackets broke through in the second period to take a 1-0 lead on Adam Fantilli’s 19th goal of the season.

The tide turned at the very end of the second frame when Damon Severson committed a holding penalty against Florida’s A.J. Greer. The resulting power play to start the third resulted in a game-tying goal from Sam Bennett.

Neither team would score again before the end of regulation and for the third time in the last four games, Columbus went to overtime. The previous two times resulted in Blue Jacket losses during the initial five-minute period.

On Thursday, it was another penalty that gave the Panthers a man advantage at a critical juncture and Sam Reinhart took advantage of the 4-on-3 opportunity in OT to register a goal in Florida’s 2-1 victory.

The point gained by Columbus in the standings moved them to within one of the Boston Bruins for the second wild card spot in the NHL’s Eastern Division. The Bruins fell 4-2 at home Thursday to the San Jose Sharks. The Blue Jackets are only two points behind the New York Islanders for the third and final Metro Division slot as well.

Columbus now heads to Philadelphia for a game with the Flyers Saturday beginning at 7:30 p.m. After that contest, the Blue Jackets head back to Columbus for a three-game homestand, beginning Tuesday with the Carolina Hurricanes, the top team in the East.