Florida Panthers forward Anton Lundell scored his first career hat trick as Florida beat the Winnipeg Jets 5-2 at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise on Friday night, according to the Associated Press roundup carried by The Score 790 and Sportradar’s results listing, which both confirm the same scoreline. Seth Jones added a goal and two assists, according to the roundup, in a win that extended Winnipeg’s losing run.
The Jets took their eighth loss in a row, falling to 0-6-2 in that stretch, according to the roundup, while Florida improved to 8-4-2, according to PuckFeed’s scores page. The game-winner was credited to Jones at 15:24 of the second period, according to PuckFeed, in a game Florida controlled after an even start.
Lundell’s first hat trick arrives at the right time
A first career hat trick is a milestone for any player, and Lundell’s came in a game Florida needed to win convincingly. Three goals from one forward changes how opponents defend, opening space for team-mates, and Jones’s goal plus two assists, according to the roundup, show how that space was used. Florida scored five times against a Winnipeg side that has struggled to keep pucks out of its net during its losing run.
Winnipeg’s eighth straight loss, according to the roundup, is now a serious early-season problem. The Jets fell to 4-7-3, according to PuckFeed, and a run of 0-6-2, according to the roundup, suggests a team losing close games as well as heavy ones. Friday’s 5-2 defeat, in which Florida pulled away, will increase questions about defensive structure and goaltending.
Panthers build, Jets search for a stop
For Florida, an 8-4-2 record, according to PuckFeed, keeps the Panthers among the Eastern Conference’s early leaders, and a hat trick from Lundell adds another scoring threat to a deep roster. For Winnipeg, the next game becomes about stopping the slide rather than about style: one win, however it comes, would break a run that is now defining the Jets’ October.
The scoreline, confirmed by two independent sources, leaves no ambiguity: Florida, led by Lundell, was the better team in Sunrise, and Winnipeg’s wait for a win goes on.
