The Florida Panthers and Columbus Blue Jackets found themselves in a battle Tuesday night with the visitors getting a goal in the final seconds before the Panthers won it 4-3 in a shootout.

Usually, the two teams would go their separate ways once the game was done — and, since they are in different divisions, would only face each other a handful of times in a season.

In 2021, however, there were no goodbyes between the two, no ‘see ya laters.’

The Panthers stayed in Columbus following Tuesday’s rousing victory, returning to their downtown hotel before practicing at Nationwide Arena the following day.

Thursday night, the two meet again.

And, due to the NHL’s temporary divisional realignment, will play six more times in this shortened season.

Perhaps, for good measure, they’ll play even more since the first two rounds of the playoffs are based within the division as well.

If the Panthers and Blue Jackets did not know each other very well before — and they kind of have a passing knowledge — they most definitely will.

“We all know each games counts as four points for both teams so it is going to be a battle every night,” said Florida’s Anthony Duclair, who played in Columbus during the 2018-19 season.

“We look at Columbus, we know they are a hard-working team, they take a lot of pride in that. Every time we play them, it’s going to be a battle for sure. … It kind of brings a little playoff atmosphere and we’re getting used to it.”

Tuesday’s clash could just serve as a tasty appetizer for what is next.

Although the Panthers controlled the offensive zone time, they never led in the game.

Columbus led 3-2 deep into the third until Patric Hornqvist batted a rebound past goalie Joonas Korpisalo in the waning seconds to force overtime.

Hornqvist won it a few minutes later in the fifth round of the shootout.

Round 2 comes Thursday. More is coming.

“We have seven other teams in our division so it is going to be a grind,” said Carter Verhaeghe, who scored Florida’s first goal of the night with a shot from the end boards that ricocheted off Korpisalo.

“We’re going to see a lot of each other, get to know each other and it’s going to be a battle out there every night for points. There are a lot of great teams in our division and points are at a premium right now.”

Panthers find success in Columbus

Tuesday’s win was Florida’s first at Nationwide Arena since they won in a shootout early on in the 2015-16 season.

That was the last season the Panthers made the playoffs.

Columbus has at least a point in its past 15 home games against the Panthers, winning 13 of them.

On Thursday, the Jackets wrap up a four-game homestand which began with two games against Tampa Bay.

Columbus has at least a point in the first three home games (1-0-2) of its season. It has never started a home slate with points in four consecutive games.

Nutivaara to debut against Columbus

Coach Joel Quenneville said there would be some lineup changes and said defenseman Markus Nutivaara would make his debut with the Panthers Thursday.

As of Wednesday night, the Panthers had not added Nutivaara — who spent all four of his NHL seasons with the Blue Jackets before being traded to Florida in October — to the active roster.

Nutivaara started the season off the roster after being part of the NHL’s Covid-19 protocol.

Florida’s 23-man roster is currently full so there will have to be a move made to add Nutivaara.

Quenneville only mentioned Nutivaara by name but said other changes could be coming.

“We have a lot of guys who still haven’t played that we’re looking to get in and see a little bit here as we go along,” Quenneville said.

Thursday morning, Quenneville said the Panthers would likely play seven defenseman against the Jackets.

Owen Tippett was moved to the taxi squad to make room for Nutivaara on the active roster.

— Columbus coach John Tortorella confirmed forward Jack Roslovic would play in his first game since being acquired as part of the blockbuster Pierre-Luc Dubois/Patrik Laine trade last weekend.

Roslovic is a native of Columbus who played for the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets and had been training with them after not agreeing to a new contract with Winnipeg.

Florida Panthers at Columbus Blue Jackets

When: Thursday, 7 p.m.

Where: Nationwide Arena; Columbus, Ohio

TV/Radio: FSF/560-AM

Records: Florida 3-0-0; Columbus 2-2-3

All-time series: Columbus leads 23-8-3

Season series: Florida leads 1-0

Last season: Columbus won two of three

Up next: Florida at Detroit, Saturday, 7 p.m.; Columbus at Chicago, Friday, 8 p.m.

Projected Florida Panthers lines

Florida forwards

23 Carter Verhaeghe — 16 Sasha Barkov — 91 Anthony Duclair

11 Jonathan Huberdeau — 21 Alexander Wennberg — 70 Patric Hornqvist

77 Frank Vatrano —27  Eetu Luostarinen — 10 Brett Connolly

13 Vinnie Hinostroza — 55 Noel Acciari — 65 Markus Nutivaara

Florida defensemen

52 MacKenzie Weegar — 5 Aaron Ekblad

42 Gustav Forsling — 6 Anton Stralman

3 Keith Yandle — 7 Radko Gudas

Florida goalies

60 Chris Driedger

72 Sergei Bobrovsky

Likely scratches: F Ryan Lomberg, D Noah Juulsen, F Juho Lammikko

Taxi squad: D Kevin Connauton, F Owen Tippett, F Mason Marchment, F Aleksi Heponiemi, G Philippe Desrosiers.

Florida power play (3/11, 27.3% 10th in NHL)

Florida penalty kill (8/11. 72.7% 24th in NHL)

PP1: Sasha Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Patric Hornqvist, Aaron Ekblad, Keith Yandle

PP2: Alexander Wennberg, Owen Tippett, Anthony Duclair, Carter Verhaeghe, Gustav Forsling

Projected Columbus Blue Jackets lines

Columbus forwards

38 Boone Jenner — 96 Jack Roslovic — 13 Cam Atkinson

71 Nick Foligno — 42 Alexandre Texier — 28 Oliver Bjorkstrand

25 Mikhail Grigorenko — 16 Max Domi — 19 Liam Goudy

50 Eric Robinson — 9 Mikko Koivu — 20 Riley Nash

Columbus defensemen

8 Zach Werenski — 3 Seth Jones

44 Vladislav Gavrikov — 58 David Savard

15 Michael Del Zotto — 46 Dean Kukan

Columbus goalies

90 Elvis Merzlikins

70 Joonas Korpisalo

Columbus power play (1/19 5.3% 30th in NHL)

Columbus penalty kill (14/16, 87.5% 7th in NHL)

PP1: Boone Jenner, Nick Foligno, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Cam Atkinson, Seth Jones

PP2: Alexandre Texier, Kevin Stenlund, Mikhail Grigorenko, Max Domi, Zach Werenski