On the last Friday of the Panthers home regular season games to be played, the Panthers showed out on a huge effort. From multiple players with two goals to outstanding goaltending, the Panthers were able to confidently beat the Winnipeg Jets by five goals. The crowd was electric as it felt like a playoff game inside FLA Live Arena.
Recap
In the first period, the Panthers got off to a blazing hot start. Specifically the hotness was from Panthers Forward Jonathon Huberdeau. Huberdeau scored two goals in the first five minutes of the hockey game.
In the second period it was Panthers Defenseman Gustav Forsling’s turn to cash in two goals. Forsling put one past Jets Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck at the three minute mark and the 16 minute mark of the second frame. The Panthers forced Hellebuyck out of the net after Forsling’s two goals, they lead 4-0 after the second. Hellebuyck stopped 22 of the Panthers 26 shots.
In the third, Jets new goaltender, Eric Comrie, aced 17 shots and stopped only 15 after two goals from Mason Marchment and Maxin Mamin. The lone Jets goal came from Nikolaj Ehlers, spoiling Sergei Bobrovsky’s shutout. Panthers net-minder Bobrovsky had a tremendous night in net. He stopped 30 of 31 shots and was named third star of the game from the NHL press and media.
Up Next
The Panthers will be traveling to Detroit and New York on Sunday and Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Jets look to keep their playoff hopes alive as they travel to Tampa Bay to take on the Lightning, then they take on the Rangers in New York, and finally finishing their East Coast road trip in North Carolina as they take on the red hot Hurricanes. It’s a tough schedule for Winnipeg as they have already lost five of their last seven games, falling out of a playoff spot.