The Florida Panthers leaned on their poise in the shootout — and a steady night from Daniil Tarasov — to edge the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 on Thursday night.
Anton Lundell and Sam Reinhart converted in the shootout as Florida slipped past Winnipeg, while Jets shooters Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele were turned away by Tarasov in the tiebreaker. The win helped the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions improve to 26-20-3, with the Panthers now 4-2-0 over their last six games.
Sam Bennett provided the lone goal in regulation for Florida, blasting a one-timer past Connor Hellebuyck with 1:11 remaining in the second period for his 18th goal of the season. Tarasov finished with 17 saves through regulation and overtime, then shut the door in the shootout to secure the victory.
Winnipeg answered in the third period when Cole Perfetti tied the game at 5:24, slipping a shot past Tarasov to force extra hockey. Hellebuyck was sharp on the other end, stopping 19 shots for the Jets, but couldn’t solve Lundell or Reinhart in the shootout. Winnipeg fell to 20-23-7, though the Jets are still 5-1-2 in their last eight games.
Matthew Tkachuk picked up an assist for Florida, recording his first point of the season in his second game back after adductor muscle surgery — a promising sign as the Panthers continue to get healthier.
The Panthers will continue their road swing Saturday night at Minnesota, while the Jets return home to host Detroit on Saturday.
