Seth Jones didn’t just have a big October. He owned it.
The Florida Panthers defenseman piled up three points - one goal and two assists - in Friday’s 5-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets, pushing his month total to 18 points and setting a new franchise mark for a defenseman in a single month. Keith Yandle had held the record at 17, set in March 2018.
“They’re just flowing right now,” Jones said. “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.”
That power-play work has been a huge part of the surge. Jones has quarterbacked Florida’s top unit, and 11 of his 18 points have come with the extra attacker.
The start wasn’t exactly electric. Jones had just one assist through the first five games, then flipped the switch beginning Oct.
- From there, he collected 17 points over a nine-game stretch in October, including three different games with at least three points.
Since Oct. 12, only Edmonton’s Connor McDavid, with 23, has scored more points.
“Seth Jones has been a huge, huge driver and we needed him [to be],” head coach Paul Maurice said. He’s got lots of confidence up top. He’s offensively as strong as there is in the league from the blue line.”
Jones’ value hasn’t been limited to the offensive end. He’s averaging a team-high 24:52 of ice time per game this season, and the Panthers have controlled play with him on the ice at 5-on-5, outscoring opponents 10-6 over 216:40.
“The guy’s still getting better,” Maurice said.
The Panthers will try to keep the momentum rolling into November when they host the Detroit Red Wings on Monday, aiming for a fourth straight win.
In Other News...
Panthers Just Sent A Message As Their Attack Keeps Coming
The Panthers kept rolling Saturday night at Amerant Bank Arena, finishing off a home-and-home sweep of the Jets with a 5-2 win after beating Winnipeg 5-1 on the road earlier in the week. Florida has now won six of its last eight and sits at 8-4-2, a stretch that has only reinforced how dangerous this group looks when its attack is clicking and the pace stays on its terms.
Anton Lundell was at the center of it, and Seth Jones helped drive the offense from the blue line as Florida kept piling on pressure against a Winnipeg team that had already seen this matchup get away from it once. The result was another convincing statement from a club that is finding ways to score in waves, with one notable milestone tucked into the night and another quietly adding to the sense that this teams ceiling is still rising. [Read more 🡒]
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 🡒]