Panthers at Jets preview: Schmid can't give one away

Winnipeg hasn't won in five games, and that should worry the Panthers more than it comforts them. The Jets are 0-3-2 in that stretch, with every loss decided by a single goal. That's a team one bounce away from flipping its week, and tonight Akira Schmid's job is to make sure the bounce doesn't come at Florida's expense.

The Panthers (6-4-2) close a four-game road trip that started in Ottawa. They're 1-2 on it after Sunday's 3-2 win over Chicago, and nine of their first 12 games have been on the road.

Paul Maurice put it plainly: "We have a quarter of our road schedule done and it's not even November." He also gets a night back in the barn he ran for parts of nine seasons, and that history makes this one personal.

The lineup card: Florida is expected to dress the group that beat Chicago. Nothing was confirmed out of morning skate when this posted.

• Brady Tkachuk – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
• Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Reinhart – Sandis Vilmanis
• Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Lars Eller
• Bokondji Imama – Cole Schwindt – Garnet Hathaway
• Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
• Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
• Dmitry Kulikov – Radko Gudas

Akira Schmid is the expected starter, with Cooper Black backing up. Cole Reinhardt and Uvis Balinskis are the expected scratches.

Who's out: Aleksander Barkov (knee, LTIR), Brad Marchand (left leg, expected to miss about six weeks), Jacob Markstrom (upper body, 10 to 14 days after taking a puck in practice Oct. 19) and Jonah Gadjovich (upper body, LTIR).

Winnipeg's expected top line is Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Cole Perfetti, with Dylan Samberg and Neal Pionk on the top pair. The Jets hadn't named a starter, though Clay Stevenson is the projected one and Stuart Skinner the other option. Josh Morrissey (upper body, week-to-week), Vladislav Namestnikov, Nick Bjugstad and Garrett Brown are out.

The goalie question: Schmid is at .872 on the season and .875 over his last five starts, per NHL data. It's a small sample, but that number has to climb while Markstrom recovers. Skinner sits at .911 for Winnipeg. Schmid doesn't need to steal this one, but he can't give one away.

The Jets right now: They've scored nine goals in those five games. Connor has carried them with nine goals and 12 points in 11 games. Mario Ferraro hasn't had a point in 10 straight, by our count. Gabriel Vilardi is the one Jet riding a point streak, three games.

On special teams it's close: Florida's power play runs at 19.6 percent and its penalty kill at 84.9, per NHL data. Winnipeg is at 19.4 and 80.8.

Head-to-head: The teams split last season's two games. They meet again Friday in Sunrise, so tonight sets the tone for a home-and-home.

The one matchup: Connor against Forsling and Ekblad. Forsling played 23.2 minutes against Chicago, up 4.4 from the game before, by our count. That's Maurice telling you who gets the hard matchups. If that pair keeps Connor to the outside, the Jets don't have a second scorer who scares you right now.

The other number I'm watching belongs to the third line: Eetu Luostarinen is pointless in 10 straight and Anton Lundell in five. That line eats tough minutes, but on a trip this tight, somebody there has to chip in one.

For the betting crowd: Florida is 2-9 against the puck line this season by our count, 1-7 on the road. DraftKings has the cats at -130 with a total of 6.5. 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Pabs' read: Winnipeg has been losing close, and close games come down to the crease. Schmid gives them a clean 60, the Tkachuk line gets one early, and Florida takes it 3-2. Dale.

How to watch: 8 PM ET at Canada Life Centre. Scripps in Florida, TSN3 in Canada.