Carter Verhaeghe Scores Twice as Panthers Rout Jets 5-1 in Winnipeg, Extend Skid to Six

Carter Verhaeghe scored two power-play goals in the first period and the Florida Panthers beat the Winnipeg Jets 5-1 on Tuesday night, Oct. 27, at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg. The win closed a four-game road trip on a two-game winning streak and handed the Jets their sixth straight loss.

Florida scored three times in the first 10:18 of the game and never let Winnipeg back in it. Niko Mikkola, Sam Reinhart and Brady Tkachuk also scored, Matthew Tkachuk had four assists and goaltender Akira Schmid made 24 saves. The Panthers improved to 7-4-2, according to the team's game recap.

A three-goal first period

Verhaeghe opened the scoring on the power play at 7:27 of the first period, lifting a shot over Jets goaltender Clay Stevenson, according to the Panthers' recap on NHL.com. Mikkola made it 2-0 just 75 seconds later at 8:42, when his shot deflected off a Winnipeg defender's stick and in.

Verhaeghe struck again on the power play at 10:18, ripping a one-timer from the high slot for a 3-0 lead. Seth Jones assisted on all three first-period goals, which matched the franchise record for assists by a defenseman in a single period, the team said.

The goals by period:

Lowry answers, Reinhart restores the cushion

Winnipeg's only goal came from Adam Lowry, who scored short-handed at 12:27 of the second period, a goal that stood after a review. It was his second goal of the season, according to The Associated Press.

Florida needed just 47 seconds to answer. On the same power play, Reinhart one-timed a pass from Brady Tkachuk over Stevenson's shoulder at 13:14 for a 4-1 lead, the Panthers' third power-play goal of the night. Brady Tkachuk finished the scoring at 12:10 of the third period, converting a cross-ice feed from his brother Matthew.

The brothers combined for seven points on the night: Brady had a goal and two assists, and Matthew had four assists. According to the AP, the Tkachuks have combined for 35 points through Florida's first 13 games. Mikkola added an assist to his goal, and Jones finished with three assists.

Schmid steady in net

Schmid stopped 24 shots and earned his fourth win in five starts, according to the AP. The Panthers' recap noted that he stopped all seven shots he faced in the third period and was credited with seven high-danger saves, citing NaturalStatTrick.com. Stevenson made 19 saves for Winnipeg.

The team's pregame notes listed Schmid as the projected starter with Cooper Black as the backup.

The power play keeps rolling

Florida went 3 for 5 with the man advantage, and the Panthers have scored 13 power-play goals in their last eight games, according to the AP. The team said its power-play success rate for the season climbed to 23%, up from 19.6% entering the night.

Coach Paul Maurice credited the power play with winning the Panthers several games early in the season, according to the team's recap. He also said he had worried his players might get ahead of themselves at the end of a long road trip, but he did not see that, and he pointed to strong starts in each of the last two games.

Milestones for the Panthers

The night produced a handful of franchise marks, according to the team:

• Verhaeghe became the 13th player in Panthers history with at least 30 power-play goals.
• Matthew Tkachuk became the fastest Panther to reach 200 assists with the club, and he has a point in 11 of Florida's 13 games.
• Reinhart moved into fifth place on the franchise's all-time scoring list with 395 points.
• Jones became the fourth Panthers defenseman with at least 14 assists in a single month.

A road-heavy start and a salvaged trip

The game was Florida's 10th road game of the season, tying Minnesota for the most in the NHL, and the first time in franchise history the Panthers have played 10 road games among their first 13, according to the team's preview. Florida entered the night 6-4-2.

The trip began poorly. The Panthers opened with a loss in Ottawa, in which Brady Tkachuk scored against his former team, and then could not find their scoring touch in a loss to the Penguins in Pittsburgh, according to the team's recaps. Eller's late goal lifted Florida to a 3-2 win in Chicago, snapping the two-game skid, and the rout in Winnipeg made it a .500 trip.

Florida played without captain Aleksander Barkov, who was listed as out in the team's pregame injury report.

Jets in a spiral

Winnipeg has not won since opening the season 4-1-1, according to the AP. The Jets entered the game 4-4-3, and each of their five previous losses during the skid had been by one goal, according to the Panthers' preview. Tuesday's defeat was the most lopsided of the streak.

The Jets' power play is 0 for 14 over its last five games and 2 for 18 at home this season, and Winnipeg has scored more than three goals only once all season, in a 5-2 win over Minnesota on Oct. 13, the AP reported.

The Jets are also in the middle of a roster shakeup. According to the Panthers' preview, Winnipeg traded goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to New Jersey last week, and forward Dawson Mercer, acquired from the Devils, was set to make his Jets debut on Tuesday, his 25th birthday. Defenseman Josh Morrissey has been out since Oct. 7 with an upper-body injury, the preview said.

What's next

The two teams meet again almost immediately. Winnipeg visits the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, then travels to South Florida to face the Panthers on Friday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, the second game of a back-to-back for the Jets.