The Winnipeg Jets (21-25-7) visit the Florida Panthers (28-22-3) in an interconference matchup. The Jets, seventh in the Central Division, are fighting to stay out of the basement amid defensive injuries and inconsistency. The Panthers, sixth in the Atlantic, are pushing for a wild-card spot despite significant absences but boast a strong home record (14-11-3). This is their second meeting of the 2025-26 season, with Florida winning the first 2-1 in a shootout on Jan. 22 in Winnipeg. Expect a low-scoring affair given both teams’ recent defensive focus and goaltending battles.
Venue: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, Florida
Puck drop is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. PT)
TV/Streaming: ESPN+
Recent Team Forms
Both teams enter off losses, with the Panthers showing more consistency at home.
Jets (5-3-2 in last 10): Winnipeg averages 3.1 goals scored and 3.2 allowed recently. They’ve alternated wins and losses, with a four-game win streak earlier in January snapped by recent defeats. Standouts include a 6-2 win over Minnesota (Jan. 15) and 4-3 over New Jersey (Jan. 11), but blowouts like 5-1 to Detroit (Jan. 27) highlight issues
Last 5 Games:
| Date | Opponent | Result |
| Jan 29 | vs TBL | L 1-4 |
| Jan 27 | vs DET | L 1-5 |
| Jan 22 | vs FLA | L 1-2 (SO) |
| Jan 15 | @ MIN | W 6-2 |
| Jan 11 | vs NJD | W 4-3 |
Panthers (6-4-0 in last 10): Florida averages 3.4 goals scored and 3.3 allowed, with strong special teams (25% PP). They’ve won four of six at home but lost two straight, including 5-4 to St. Louis (Jan. 29) despite Matthew Tkachuk’s two goals. Wins include 4-3 over Minnesota (Jan. 24) and 5-3 over Chicago (Jan. 25)
Last 5 Games:
| Date | Opponent | Result |
| Jan 29 | vs STL | L 4-5 |
| Jan 27 | @ UTA | L 3-4 |
| Jan 25 | vs CHI | W 5-3 |
| Jan 24 | @ MIN | W 4-3 |
| Jan 22 | @ WPG | W 2-1 (SO) |
Injury Report
Injuries cripple both blue lines and Florida’s forward depth.
Jets:
Neal Pionk (D, lower body): On IR, expected out until at least Feb. 2
Colin Miller (D, knee): On IR, out until at least Feb. 25 after surgery
Haydn Fleury (D, upper body): On IR, week-to-week
Panthers:
Aleksander Barkov (C, knee): On IR, out for the season
Dmitry Kulikov (D, upper body): On IR, out at least five months post-surgery
Jonah Gadjovich (LW, upper body): On IR, out until at least Feb. 26
Tomas Nosek (LW): On IR, games missed 52
Seth Jones (D, upper body): On LTIR, out until at least Feb. 2
Anton Lundell (C): Day-to-day
Projected starters: Connor Hellebuyck (Jets, .905 SV%) vs. Sergei Bobrovsky (Panthers, .892 SV%)
Key Player Matchups
This game features offensive stars testing depleted defenses, with goaltending likely deciding the outcome.
Mark Scheifele (Jets C) vs. Sam Bennett (Panthers C): Scheifele (recent 4-point game vs. MIN) leads Winnipeg with 18 goals and 40 points; he’ll face Bennett’s physical shutdown style (15G, 28P) in key faceoffs
Matthew Tkachuk (Panthers LW) vs. Josh Morrissey (Jets D): Tkachuk (2 goals vs. STL) tops Florida with 22 goals and 45 points; Morrissey must contain his physicality amid Jets’ thin blue line
Gabriel Vilardi (Jets RW) vs. Gustav Forsling (Panthers D): Vilardi (15G, 30P) is Winnipeg’s sniper; Forsling (solid +15 rating) anchors Florida’s top pair
Goaltending Duel: Connor Hellebuyck (Jets) vs. Sergei Bobrovsky (Panthers): Hellebuyck (2.85 GAA) faces Florida’s shot suppression; Bobrovsky (recent 17-save win) exploits Jets’ low shot volume
Projected Lineups (per NHL.com
Jets: Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi; Appleton-Namestnikov-Ehlers; Niederreiter-Lowry-Perfetti; Barron-Kupari-Iafallo. Defense: Morrissey-DeMelo; Samberg-Schmidt; Stanley-Heinola. Goalie: Hellebuyck.
Panthers: Rodrigues-Bennett-Tkachuk; Verhaeghe-Lundell (if available)-Reinhart; Luostarinen-Stenlund-Samoskevich; Cousins-Lorentz-Mamin. Defense: Forsling-Ekblad; Mikkola-Montour; Balinskis-Schmidt. Goalie: Bobrovsky.
Series History
The Jets hold the all-time edge: 55-36-5-5 overall. In regular season, it’s closer at 41-41-19 for Florida. Recently, the Panthers have won three of the last five, including the 2-1 shootout on Jan. 22. At Amerant Bank Arena, Winnipeg is 3-2 in the last five visits, but Florida has outscored them 15-12.
Betting Trends
Over/Under: Over has hit in 31 of Florida’s 53 games; Under in 34 of Jets’ last 52 as favorites. Jets 5-3-2 ATS in last 10; Panthers 1-4 in last 5 games. Florida 12-7-1-1 at home; Winnipeg 7-10-0-1 on road
Game Odds
Winnipeg Jets 5.5
Florida Panthers – 142
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Friday, January 30, 2026
