A fast start, a power-play punch, and then Anton Lundell finally got the breakout night he’d been chasing.
The Florida Panthers finished off a season sweep of the Winnipeg Jets with a 5-2 win Friday at Amerant Bank Arena, matching up with the same team they beat 5-1 in Winnipeg on Tuesday. The result pushed Florida to 8-4-2 and gave the club six wins in its last eight games.
Lundell stole the spotlight with his first career NHL hat trick, including an empty-netter to seal it late. He also snapped in a second-period goal and then buried the one that put the game out of reach in the third.
“Just kept fighting and believing that at some point I'm gonna get rewarded,” Lundell said of the floodgates finally opening for him this season. “Today, it all came.
First ever hat trick in the NHL. I've had some two-goal nights, but the third one has always been hard to score.”
Florida’s special teams set the tone early. The Panthers scored on their first power play when Sam Reinhart lifted a shot over Nico Daws from close range at 18:15 of the first period. Reinhart now shares the NHL lead with six power-play goals.
The second period brought more from the Panthers’ top-end talent. Lundell made it 2-0 with a sharp shot from the top of the left circle at 2:38, but Winnipeg answered after Florida was assessed a delay-of-game penalty.
The Panthers challenged the call, arguing the puck had deflected off a Jets stick, but the officials upheld it and Winnipeg got a 5-on-3. Florida killed off 1:54 before Kyle Connor finally got the Jets on the board at 9:51.
The lead didn’t last long. Seth Jones restored the two-goal cushion at 15:24, finishing a pass from Reinhart from the slot for a 3-1 edge.
Jones kept adding to a huge opening month, finishing with three points and extending his October total to 18, the most ever by a Florida defenseman in a single month.
“They’re just flowing right now,” Jones said of his incredible production to start the season. “So, they come and go and I don't judge my game based on based on points.
I judge it based on how smart my plays are, how efficient I am breaking the puck out and that kind of comes with it. A lot of it's been power play, and that's been pretty hot lately.”
Winnipeg made it interesting in the third when Morgan Barron scored his first goal of the season at 8:46 to cut it to 3-2. But Lundell shut the door quickly, scoring again at 13:33 from in front to make it 4-2 before adding the empty-netter at 18:21.
The night also had a little edge right from the opening minutes. Boko Imama and Jets defenseman Tyrel Bauer dropped the gloves early in the first period and traded punches for more than a minute.
Florida’s first month has come with plenty of contributions across the lineup, and coach Paul Maurice pointed to that balance after the game.
“You know everybody's an important piece,” Maurice said of the team's strong first month of the season.
Jones also praised the way the Panthers have built their power play.
“I think Jamie (Kompon) and his power-play group have done a great job really changing the foundation of what we're trying to do,” Maurice said.
And after Lundell’s big night, Jones said the celebration said plenty about what it meant.
“I think you saw a kind of a weight off his shoulders in the celebration on that first goal. We were making fun of him here after the game, but it's nice to see him put one in. I know he's been working really hard during the games and doing his job every night.”
Florida also got a strong defensive effort, finishing with a 20-15 edge in blocked shots and winning 62.7% of the faceoffs. Sandis Vilmanis led the team with seven hits.
The Panthers will go for a fourth straight win Monday when they host the Detroit Red Wings at Amerant Bank Arena at 7 p.m. ET.
In Other News...
Panthers Fans Got A New Look At The Teams Rising Depth
With the Panthers getting ready for Detroit, there is a little more going on around the organization than just the NHL matchup. Floridas depth picture is getting a fresh look at the same time, with the Charlotte Checkers set to face the Iowa Wild and a wave of prospects making noise in other leagues. It has been the kind of week that reminds fans how much of the pipeline is moving at once, from the AHL down through junior hockey.
The prospect notes have been especially encouraging, with Louis-Antoine Denault posting a shutout in the QMJHL and Arvid Drott contributing a goal and an assist in the WHL. Those performances do not settle anything on their own, but they do add to the sense that Floridas system is producing more than just one or two headline names. For a team that has spent recent seasons leaning on organizational depth, those small developments matter, even if the next layer of the story is still waiting to be written. [Read more 🡒]
Stars Could Expose Whether Capitals Hot Start Is Actually Real
Washingtons 8-4-0 start has put the Capitals in an early-season spot they have not occupied often enough lately, and it has come with the usual mix of familiar strengths and nagging questions. Alex Ovechkin is still driving the offense, and the club has banked enough points to sit third in the Metropolitan Division, but the schedule is about to offer a much clearer read on how sustainable this opening surge really is.
Minnesota, Dallas and Florida are next on the slate, which means Washington is heading straight into a stretch against teams that can expose soft spots quickly. The defensive side already has been tested by injuries, and these games should tell the Capitals whether their fast start is the product of real progress or just a favorable opening run before the grind of playoff-caliber opponents begins. [Read more 🡒]