FLORIDA PANTHERS NOTES:
BAPTIST HEALTH INJURY REPORT
- F Anthony Duclair | Games Missed: 25
- F Aleksander Barkov | Games Missed: 5
- F Anton Lundell | Games Missed: 1
Total Man Games Lost Due to Injury: 52
LAST GAME
Panthers 5, Kraken 1 – Dec. 3 – Climate Pledge Arena
FLA Goals: Verhaeghe (13, 14-PPG), Tkachuk (12-PPG), Heponiemi (1), Forsling (4-PPG)
SEA Goals: McCann (11)
FLA Goalie: Knight (W) – 35 Saves
SEA Goalie: Grubauer (L) – 23 Saves
FLA Shots: 28
SEA Shots: 36
Notes: Florida earned its first-ever win against Seattle…Spencer Knight appeared in his 50th NHL game…Sam Bennett notched three assists, his second straight multi-point game (2-3-5)…Carter Verhaeghe recorded his team-leading fifth multi-goal game (2-0-2)…Matthew Tkachuk scored for the second consecutive game (1-1-2), extending his point streak to two games (2-3-5)…Gustav Forsling (1-0-1) tallied a goal for the second time in as many games (2-1-3)…Eric Staal and Eetu Luostarinen each notched an assist for the second straight game (0-2-2)…Nick Cousins matched his career high with a game-high six shots on goal…11 Panthers skaters registered at least one point…FLA PP: 3-4, FLA PK: 2-2
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- Dec. 5: F Zac Dalpe and D Matt Kiersted recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- Dec. 4: F Patric Hornqvist placed on LTIR | F Chris Tierney recalled from Charlotte (AHL) on an emergency basis
- Nov. 27: F Aleksi Heponiemi recalled from Charlotte (AHL) on an emergency basis
PANTHERS vs. JETS
ALL-TIME vs. WPG: 39-37-5-13
ALL-TIME ROAD vs. WPG: 16-19-4-7
2021-22 vs. WPG: 2-0-0
CATS STATS
- Matthew Tkachuk has registered 16 points (7-9-16) over 21 career games vs. Winnipeg.
- Eric Staal has amassed 67 career points (28-39-67) over 83 games against the Jets/Atlanta Thrashers.
CATS AND JETS
Tonight the Panthers will wrap up their five-game road trip in Winnipeg where they will face off against the Jets for the first time this season. Florida swept their two-game season series with Winnipeg in 2021-22, and they have won three of their past four matchups, including in each of their last two visits to Canada Life Centre. Last season, the Cats outscored the Jets 11-4 over their two matchups, led by Sam Reinhart (0-4-4). Nine different Panthers logged at least two points over the two games against Winnipeg.
MO’ RETURNS
Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice will return to Winnipeg for the first time tonight. He spent nine seasons (2013-14 to 2021-22) as Winnipeg’s head coach, and owns the Winnipeg Jets franchise record for games coached (600) and wins (315). He led the Jets to the Western Conference Final in 2017-18, and earned a postseason berth in five of his seven full seasons at the helm.
POWER UP
The Panthers logged three power-play goals Dec. 3 at SEA, the second time they have produced three in one game this season. Florida was the fifth team to register at least two games with three PPGs this season. The Panthers 20 power-play tallies are tied for 10th-most among NHL teams following games played Dec. 4, and since Nov. 23, Florida has converted at a 30.4% rate on the power play. Their seven PPGs over that span rank tied for fifth-most among NHL clubs.
QUICK STRIKES
Carter Verhaeghe tallied two goals in a :26 second span Dec. 3 at SEA, tied for the third-fastest two goals by one player in franchise history. Florida’s first three goals scored by Matthew Tkachuk, Gustav Forsling and Ryan Lomberg Dec. 1 at VAN came :59 seconds apart in the first period, establishing a new franchise record for the fastest three goals scored in a game in franchise history. The previous mark had been 1:02 set by Bryan McCabe, Rostislav Olesz and Dominic Moore in a 6-2 win Nov. 18, 2009 at Buffalo. Florida’s three tallies also represented the fastest three goals scored by any team this season.
PUCKS ON NET
Florida leads all NHL clubs with 965 total shots on goal this season. The Panthers pace all teams in shots on goal per game both overall (38.6) and on the road (38.0), and have logged at least 40 shots on goal 10 times in 2022-23.
CHUCKIE’S CHEESE
Matthew Tkachuk has produced five points (2-3-5) over his past two games. Through his first 23 games with Florida, Tkachuk leads the team in assists (22), points (34), even-strength points (23), power-play points (11), multi-point games (12) and shots on goal (98). He also paces Florida with 18 road points (7-11-18) over 13 games away from FLA Live Arena this season. It took him just 22 games to reach the 30-point mark, the fewest games required to achieve 30 points with the team in franchise history. The 24-year-old posted a point in five straight games (4-6-10) from Nov. 15-23, his second point streak of five games this season. His two points (1-1-2) Nov. 23 vs. BOS represented his 100th career multi-point game. Tkachuk led Florida with a plus-four rating Nov. 15 vs. WSH, the second time this season he has posted such a rating. His first assist in the game marked his 400th NHL point. Per NHL stats, Tkachuk was the second player from the NHL Draft to reach the mark, joining fellow American Auston Matthews (266-206—472 in 423 GP). He required the fourth-fewest games to reach 400 points among active American-born NHLers.
EK’S GON’ GIVE IT TO YA
Aaron Ekblad logged an assist, one blocked shot and a game-high 27:17 TOI Dec. 3 at SEA to tie Keith Yandle for second-most assists by a Florida blueliner and match Dmitry Kulikov (610) for most blocked shots in franchise history since the stat began being tracked by the NHL in 2005-06. He logged his 200th NHL assist Nov. 29 at CGY to cap his point streak at five games (3-4-7 from Nov. 20-29), tied for the longest by a Panthers skater this season. He was the third blueliner to reach 200 assists with Florida. Ekblad notched his 199th career assist Nov. 28 at EDM for his 300th NHL point (101-198-299). He was the first Panthers defenseman to reach the mark with Florida and the first blueliner from the 2014 draft class to post 300 points. He scored his 100th career goal Nov. 23 vs. BOS and produced a season-high three points (1-2-3). He is the first defenseman in franchise history to reach 100 goals. Ekblad scored his 100th NHL goal in his 563rd game, and per NHL stats only Erik Karlsson (477 GP) hit the mark in fewer games among all active defensemen. The Windsor, Ontario native is six games shy of surpassing Robert Svehla (573) for most games played by a defenseman in club history.
Most Assists by Defensemen in Franchise History
- Robert Svehla 229
T-2. Keith Yandle 201
T-2. Aaron Ekblad 201
BENNY AND THE CATS
Forward Sam Bennett matched his career high with three assists Dec. 3 at SEA, and he logged his second multi-goal game of the season (2-0-2) Dec. 1 at VAN. He has amassed 16 points (6-10-16) over his past 13 contests. He also produced three assists while skating in his 500th NHL game Nov. 17 vs. DAL. Bennett scored two goals (2-0-2) Nov. 12 vs. Edmonton, which extended his goal/point streak to three games (4-1-5). His five third-period tallies are tied for the team lead with Matthew Tkachuk. He has registered eight multi-point games this season, tied with Carter Verhaeghe for second-most on the team. The Holland Landing, Ontario native’s 77 shots on goal are also tied for second-most on the team with Verhaeghe and his 61 hits lead Florida forwards.
MR. CARTER
Forward Carter Verhaeghe tallied his team-leading fifth multi-goal game tonight at SEA. His goals came :26 seconds apart, tied for the third-fastest two goals scored by one player in franchise history. He paces Florida in goals (14) and even-strength goals (11) and he has produced 22 points (14-8-22) over 25 games in 2022-23, which ranks second on the team. He posted a point in four straight games from Nov. 3-9 (4-3-7). Over his past 17 games, Verhaeghe has amassed 11 goals and 17 points (11-6-17). The Toronto, Ontario native’s eight total multi-point games and 17 even-strength points each rank tied for second-most on Florida with Sam Bennett.
‘HART OF GOLD
Forward Sam Reinhart produced at least one point in five consecutive games (2-5-7) from Nov. 23-Dec. 1, tied for the longest point streak on Florida this season. He scored a power-play goal in three consecutive games from Nov. 15-19, behind only Anthony Duclair and Evgenii Dadonov (4 games each) for the longest PPG streak in franchise history. Reinhart’s five power-play tallies are the most on Florida this season, and he has logged seven power-play points. He recorded his first two goals of the season Nov. 6 at ANA and led Florida with seven shots on goal in the game. He has produced 13 points (7-6-13) over his past 14 games. The West Vancouver, B.C. native scored the game-deciding goal in the shootout against James Reimer Nov. 3 at SJS.
MONTOUR OF DUTY
Brandon Montour has produced 21 points (5-16-21) through his first 23 games of 2022-23. With his assist Nov. 28 at EDM, he surpassed Aaron Ekblad (22 GP, 2021-22) for the fewest games to reach the 20-point mark in a season among Panthers blueliners in club history. Montour has notched an assist in six of his past 10 games (0-6-6), and he has amassed 13 points (1-12-13) over his past 13 games. The Brantford, Ontario native leads Florida blueliners in assists and points. Montour’s seven points from Nov. 6-9 tied Bryan McCabe (1-6-7, March 3-6, 2010) for the most points in a two-game span by a Panthers defenseman in club history. He matched his career high with four points (1-3-4) Nov. 6 at ANA, also tying the franchise record for single-game points by a defenseman. He became the eighth blueliner in club history to post four points in a regular season game, and he skated a career-high 30:41 total time on ice Nov. 3 at SJS.
JUST THE TWO OF GUS
Defenseman Gustav Forsling has scored a goal in each of his past two games, producing three points (2-1-3) over his past three contests. He registered his 10th career multi-assist game (0-2-2) Nov. 26 vs. STL. All 10 of his multi-assist performances have come with Florida. Forsling has amassed 18 points (4-14-18) over 25 games in 2022-23, including 14 even-strength points which are the most among Panthers defensemen. Forsling notched an assist in five straight games (0-6-6) from Nov. 12-20, the longest assist/point streak of his career. He also posted a four-game assist/point streak earlier this season (1-4-5, 4GP Oct. 15-21). He logged a career-high seven shots on goal Nov. 1 at ARI. His 75 total shots this season are the most among Panthers blueliners.
OH WHAT A KNIGHT
Goaltender Spencer Knight has earned at least one point in each of his last six decisions (3-0-3). He has surrendered just one goal in each of his past two starts, appearing in his 50th NHL game Dec. 3 at SEA and earning his 30th NHL win Dec. 1 at VAN. His 49 games were the fewest games required to reach the 30-win mark with Florida in franchise history. Knight stopped all 40 Carolina shots he faced Nov. 9 vs. CAR to earn his third career shutout. The 21-year-old native of Darien, Conn., owns a 31-12-6 record over his first 50 NHL games.
WHAT ABOUT BOB?
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stopped a season-high 41 shots for a .953 save percentage Nov. 15 vs. WSH. His 41 saves were his most since stopping 42 shots against Jan. 11 vs. VAN. Bobrovsky appeared in his 600th NHL game Nov. 5 at LAK, becoming the 53rd goaltender in league history to reach the mark. His 339 career wins are the most through a goaltender’s first 600 appearances in NHL history. He stopped 32 of the 33 NYI shots he faced in Florida’s season opener on Oct. 13, including all 27 at even strength and 16 in the first period. Bobrovsky tied for the league lead with a franchise-record 39 wins in 2021-22, including a club-record and league-leading 26 home wins.
SUPER STAAL BROS.
Eric and Marc Staal have combined for four assists over Florida’s past three games. The Thunder Bay, Ontario natives have combined for 2,355 total NHL games and 1,253 points.
THE LOMBERGHINI
Ryan Lomberg has produced a point in each of his past two games (1-1-2), his second point streak this season. The 27-year-old native of Richmond Hill, Ontario has produced six points (3-3-6) in 2022-23, and he ranks second among Florida forwards in hits (36).
GOTTA GO TO MO’
Nov. 15 vs. WSH marked Paul Maurice’s 1,700th game as an NHL head coach, becoming the fourth in League history to reach the mark. He earned his 783rd win as an NHL head coach Nov. 9 vs. CAR, surpassing legendary bench boss Al Arbour for sixth-most in League history. He is one of three coaches to earn at least 300 wins with two different franchises. He is 13 wins away from achieving his 800th NHL win as a head coach.
WINNIPEG JETS NOTES:
Scene Setter
The Winnipeg Jets finish a four-game homestand on Tuesday night when the Florida Panthers come to Canada Life Centre for the only time this season. The Jets improved to 2-1-0 on the homestand after a 5-2 win against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday afternoon. After Tuesday’s game, the Jets play back-to-back on the road when they visit the St. Louis Blues on Thursday and Chicago Blackhawks on Friday.
Last Game
Winnipeg Jets 5
Anaheim Ducks 2
Jets Scorers: Mäenalanen (4), Samberg (1), Barron (2), Scheifele (13), Schmidt (3)
Ducks Scorers: Silfverberg (4), Leason (2)
Jets Goaltender: Connor Hellebuyck (28 sv, 2 ga)
Ducks Goaltender: Anthony Stolarz (35 sv, 5 ga)
Jets PP: 1-for-4
Jets PK: 3-for-3
Recap: The Jets scored five unanswered goals in the second and third periods in a 5-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday afternoon. Five different Jets found the back of the net, including Dylan Samberg with his first NHL goal and Mark Scheifele with his team leading 13th goal of the season. Adam Lowry and Kyle Connor each had two assists. Connor Hellebuyck made 28 saves for his fourth consecutive win.
Reach For the Top
The Jets are sixth in the NHL with a .674 points percentage, which also ranks first in the Central Division and third in the Western Conference… Winnipeg’s best points percentage in franchise history was in 2017-18 when the team finished at .695… The franchise has finished a season with a points percentage better than .600 four times.
Following Up
The Jets avoided losing consecutive games for just the second time this season with Sunday’s win… Winnipeg is 7-6-1 in games following a win this season and have won a season high three consecutive games on three occasions.
November to Remember
The Jets went 9-3-0 in 12 games in November for a .750 points percentage, which was fifth in the NHL during the month… Winnipeg finished 84.4% on the penalty kill last month, which ranked fifth in the league, while the power play was 11th at 27.0%… The Jets outscored their opponents 42-28 in November… Kyle Connor (7G, 10A) and Josh Morrissey (5G, 12A) led the Jets in scoring in November with 17 points in 12 games… The Jets were 6-6-2 in November last season.
Shooting Star
Josh Morrissey is fourth in the NHL among defencemen with 26 points (5G, 21A) in 23 games, which also leads the Jets in scoring… Morrissey’s 21 assists rank tied for third among NHL defencemen… He has an assist in 16 of his 23 games, including four games with multiple assists… He hasn’t gone consecutive games without a point this season, but had his five-game point streak come to an end on Friday… He had a goal and an assist last Tuesday against Colorado for his seventh multi-point game of the season, which sets a career high… Morrissey is on pace for 75 assists and 93 points this season… His career high for assists is 26, which he did 65 games during the 2019-20 season… He had a career best 12 goals and 37 points in 79 games last season… Morrissey is on pace to become the first defenceman to lead the team in scoring in franchise history… The franchise record for points by a defenceman in a season is 56, which Dustin Byfuglien did in 2013-14… Byfuglien (4 times), Toby
Enstrom (twice), and Jacob Trouba (once) are the only defencemen in franchise history to post 50 points or more in a season.
Busy Time of Year
Winnipeg’s 23 games played this season is tied for third fewest in the NHL this season and five less than the NHL-leading San Jose Sharks with 28, but that will change in December… Winnipeg plays 16 games in 30 days from Dec. 2-31… The stretch includes three back-to-backs… The Jets only consecutive days off in December are from Dec. 24-26 for the Christmas break… The Jets only played eight games in December last season due to COVID-related postponements, going 4-3-1.
PK Prowess
The Jets are a perfect 9-for-9 on the penalty kill in their past three games and haven’t allowed a power play goal against in six of their past nine contests… Winnipeg is third in the NHL this season with a penalty kill clicking at 83.9%… The last time the Jets had a penalty kill better than 82% was in 2013-14 when they finished the season at 83.2%… The franchise record for penalty kill percentage in a season is 85.2%, which occurred in Atlanta during the 2003-04 season.
Home Comforts
The Jets are 9-3-0 at Canada Life Centre to start the season and have won 13 of their past 17 home games dating back to last season… The 22 goals Winnipeg has allowed on home ice this season is tied for the second fewest in the NHL… The Jets are outscoring their opponents 3.2-1.8 at home this season and have scored at least four goals in seven of their 12 games at Canada Life Centre this season… Pierre-Luc Dubois (6G, 8A) and Kyle Connor (5G, 9A) lead the team with 14 points in 12 home games… Connor Hellebuyck has been stellar on home ice this season, going 8-2-0 with a 1.30 goals-against average, .957 save percentage and three shutouts… Winnipeg is 238-152-36 all-time at Canada Life Centre and have posted a .500 record or better at home in six consecutive seasons
On the Road
The Jets are back above .500 on the road this season at 6-4-1… Winnipeg hasn’t lost consecutive games in regulation on the road this season… Defenceman Josh Morrissey (1G, 12A) leads the Jets in scoring on the road with 13 points, while Mark Scheifele has a team leading six goals… Winnipeg’s first 15 road games are against Western Conference teams… The Jets were 16-17-8 on the road last season.
PLD
Pierre-Luc Dubois is approaching a point per game pace this season with 22 points (11G, 11A) in 23 games… He has six points (3G, 3A) during a current five-game point streak… Dubois is on pace for a career season with a career high 0.48 goals, 0.48 assists, and 0.96 points per game.
Also Streaking
Blake Wheeler (3G, 7A) and Cole Perfetti (1G, 6A) are also on five-game point streaks… Wheeler’s 10 points are the most by a Jet during a point streak this season… Josh Morrissey holds the team’s longest point streak this season of six games from Nov. 3-17.
Helle-lean Form
Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is 10-3-1 in his past 14 starts while having a 2.14 goals-against average, .935 save percentage and three shutouts… He’s won four consecutive starts for the first time this season… The stretch started with a 25-save shutout against the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 24… On the season, Hellebuyck is third in the NHL with a .931 save percentage… With Tuesday’s 40-save effort, he’s 4-0-1 with a 2.17 goals-against average and .949 save percentage in five games this season when facing at least 40 shots
The Rookie
Cole Perfetti is tied for second in NHL rookie scoring with 16 points (4G, 12A) in 23 games… He has 10 of his 16 points on home ice, which is also tied for second among NHL rookies… He’s also fifth among NHL rookie forwards with an average of 15:06 of ice time per game… Perfetti could become the fifth rookie in franchise history to post 50 points in a season, previously done by Dany Heatley (67 – 2001-02), Patrik Laine (64 – 2016-17), Kyle Connor (57 – 2017-18), and Ilya Kovalchuk (51 – 2001-02).
Facing Eastward
This is Winnipeg’s seventh game against an Eastern Conference opponent this season, having gone 3-3-0 so far… Five of Winnipeg’s next 10 games are against an Eastern Conference team… Pierre-Luc Dubois has a team leading eight points (4G, 4A) in six games against the Eastern Conference this season.
Goals, Goals, Goals
The Jets have scored five goals or more in four of their past five games… Since Nov. 25, Winnipeg has been the NHL’s highest scoring team with 23 goals in five games… The Jets have tallied five goals or more in six games this season.
First One
Dylan Samberg scored his first career goal on Sunday, becoming the 35th player to do so in a Jets uniform and 78th in franchise history… He joins Mikey Eyssimont as the two members of the Jets to score their first NHL goal this season… Kyle Connor drew the primary assist on Samberg’s goal, marking the fifth first career goal he’s assisted on since 2016 (Patrik Laine, Sami Niku, Logan Stanley, and Cole Perfetti).
On The Power Play
The Jets are 16-for-76 (21.1%) on the power play through the first 22 games of the season… Winnipeg is 5-for-15 (33.3%) with the extra man in the past four games, having scored a power play goal in four consecutive contests… The Jets have scored 11 of their 16 power play goals in their past 13 games, going 11-for-41 (26.8%) … Pierre-Luc Dubois (5G, 4A), Kyle Connor (2G, 7A), and Josh Morrissey (1G, 8A) lead the Jets with nine points on the power play this season.
Extra Time
The Jets are 6-1 in overtime this season… Winnipeg’s seven OT games are tied for the most in the NHL this season and the Jets are the only team with six wins in overtime… Five of Winnipeg’s six OT winners have come in the first two minutes of the extra session… Mark Scheifele holds the franchise record with 12 OT winning goals… The six wins is one better than the five overtime wins Winnipeg had last season in 12 games decided in OT… During the past three seasons, Winnipeg is 17-9 in games decided in overtime.
Goal-Games
Five of Winnipeg’s past six games have been decided by three goals or more… The Jets have notched their past three wins by at least three goals… Winnipeg’s previous four wins came by one goal… Thirteen of Winnipeg’s 23 games this season have been decided by three goals or more, with the Jets going 7-6.
Zeros
The Jets have registered three shutouts this season, which is tied for first in the NHL… Winnipeg’s first two shutouts were by 4-0 scores (Oct. 24 vs. STL and Nov. 5 vs. CHI), while Nov. 29 5-0 shutout against Colorado gives the Jets all three shutout wins by at least four goals… The Jets had five shutouts last season, which is two shy of the franchise record.
Comebackers
The Jets have come from behind in seven of their 15 wins this season… Four of the comebacks have been from one goal, while three were from two goals… Winnipeg’s three wins coming back from two goals is tied for second in the NHL… The Jets also have a pair of third period comebacks this season.
Jets vs. FLA Notes
Season Series
The Jets and Panthers play twice this season… Winnipeg visits Florida on Mar. 11.
Recent History
Winnipeg lost both games to Florida last season, but are 5-4-0 in the past nine meetings… This is the 95th meeting all-time between the Jets and Panthers franchises. It will tie the 95 games the Jets franchise has played against the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals for the most against any one opponent.
Maurice Returns
Former Jets head coach Paul Maurice returns to Winnipeg as the head coach of the Panthers… Maurice led the Jets to a 315-225-62 record during parts of nine seasons from 2013-2022.
In Winnipeg
The Jets are 7-4-1 all-time against the Panthers at Canada Life Centre, but have dropped the past two games.
Player Notes
Blake Wheeler leads the Jets in career scoring against the Panthers with 30 points (9G, 21A) in 40 games… Pierre-Luc Dubois has 10 points (3G, 7A) in 11 games against Florida during his career, including a pair of power play goals.
