Lundell Hat Trick and Jones Record Help Panthers Beat Jets

Anton Lundell scored three goals and Seth Jones recorded a goal and two assists as the Florida Panthers defeated the Winnipeg Jets 5-2 on Friday night. The win marked Florida's sixth victory in its last eight contests. Jones finished the game with three points, completing a record-setting October for the Florida defense.

Jones accumulated 18 points in October, consisting of two goals and 16 assists. This total broke the previous Florida record for most points by a defenseman in a single month. The former record belonged to Keith Yandle, who posted 17 points for the Panthers in March 2018. Sam Reinhart provided the other goal for Florida in the victory.

The Jets struggled to contain the Panthers' offense, which resulted in Florida's fifth hat trick of the season. Lundell completed his trio with an empty-net goal with 1 minute and 39 seconds remaining. Kyle Connor scored his 11th goal of the season for Winnipeg, but it was not enough to stop the losing streak. Winnipeg dropped both games in its home-and-home series with Florida this week.

Winnipeg has lost its last eight games, going 0-6-2 in that span. Morgan Barron scored his first goal of the season midway through the third period to cut the deficit to 3-2. Lundell's second goal of the night quickly restored the two-goal lead for the home team.

Akira Schmid stopped 22 shots for the Panthers. The team remains without key forwards Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand due to injuries. Both players resumed skating this week. Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Marchand could return in about three weeks and Barkov in about four.

A physical moment occurred just 2 minutes and 4 seconds into the first period when Bokondji Imama of Florida and Tyrel Bauer of Winnipeg began fighting. The two players went at it for more than a minute. After the fight ended, they shared a nod, mirroring the conclusion of their previous altercation in the AHL in 2024.

The Panthers have played only three home games this season, the fewest in the NHL. More than half of the league had logged at least seven home games before Friday. The Jets will play at Carolina on Sunday, while the Panthers will host Detroit on Monday night.