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Anton Lundell scored a hat trick and defenseman Seth Jones capped off a historic month as the Florida Panthers earned a 5-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Friday night in Sunrise, Florida. The win marked the sixth victory in eight games for the Panthers, while extending Winnipeg’s winless streak to eight games.
Jones Sets Franchise Record in Panthers Win
Jones contributed a goal and two assists in the contest, bringing his October total to 18 points on two goals and 16 assists. The performance set a new Florida franchise record for the most points by a defenseman in any single calendar month, surpassing the previous mark of 17 points set by Keith Yandle in March 2018.
Sam Reinhart also scored for Florida in the victory. Winnipeg got on the board with Kyle Connor’s team-leading 11th goal of the season, followed by Morgan Barron’s first goal of the year midway through the third period to cut Florida’s lead to 3-2. However, Lundell scored his second goal of the night shortly after to re-establish Florida’s two-goal cushion, before completing his hat trick—the Panthers’ fifth of the season—with an empty-netter with 1:39 remaining.
Goaltender Akira Schmid turned aside 22 shots for Florida. The Panthers played without star forwards Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand, who are both recovering from injuries. Florida head coach Paul Maurice indicated that both players resumed skating this week, noting that Marchand could return in roughly three weeks while Barkov is expected back in about four weeks.
The physical tone was set early when Florida’s Bokondji Imama and Winnipeg’s Tyrel Bauer engaged in a fight just 2:04 into the game. The two traded punches for more than a minute, reminiscent of their notable AHL fight in 2024, before exchanging a respectful nod at the conclusion of the bout. The loss completed a sweep for Florida in the home-and-home series, leaving the Jets at 0-6-2 over their past eight games.
Devils Top Golden Knights Behind Gritsyuk and Hughes
In Las Vegas, Arseny Gritsyuk and Jack Hughes each scored twice to propel the New Jersey Devils to a 5-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck stopped 19 shots to secure his second win since being acquired by New Jersey on Oct. 23. Hellebuyck, who played his first 11 NHL seasons with Winnipeg, previously earned a 5-1 win over Dallas on Tuesday.
Gritsyuk continued his strong run of form, having scored in six of his last eight games to accumulate 10 points over that span. Luke Hughes also scored for New Jersey, helping the Devils improve to 10-1-0 in games where both Hughes brothers score.
Mark Stone and Ivan Barbashev scored for the Golden Knights, with Adin Hill stopping 26 shots in net. After Luke Hughes opened the scoring early in the first period with a one-timer, Stone tied the game by deflecting a point shot from Mitch Marner. Barbashev then put Vegas ahead 2-1 off another setup from Marner, but Gritsyuk answered less than a minute later by capitalizing on a turnover. Jack Hughes scored the go-ahead goal by stripping the puck from Jack Eichel and sliding it through Stone’s legs before finishing past Hill.
Flames Hand Kraken 6-2 Loss Behind Coronato’s Four Points
In Calgary, Matt Coronato registered a career-high four points with a goal and three assists to guide the Calgary Flames to a 6-2 win over the Seattle Kraken. Joel Farabee recorded a goal and two assists as Calgary secured its fifth consecutive victory at home.
Morgan Frost and Matvei Gridin each finished with a goal and an assist for Calgary, while Aydar Suniev and Ryan Strome also found the net. Freddy Gaudreau scored his team-high seventh goal for Seattle alongside a tallie from Mackie Samoskevich.
Calgary goaltender Dustin Wolf stopped 20 shots to earn the win in his first start since Oct. 15. Seattle starter Philipp Grubauer was pulled after yielding four goals on 14 shots, with Joey Daccord making 11 saves in relief.
Mikael Backlund earned an assist on Farabee’s goal, reaching 610 career points on 234 goals and 376 assists. The point moved Backlund past Johnny Gaudreau into sole possession of fifth place on Calgary’s all-time scoring list, leaving him six points behind Joe Nieuwendyk for fourth place.
