Anton Lundell's hat trick sinks the Jets again, Panthers win 5-2

Panthers 5, Jets 2. Neither Tkachuk registered a point and the Panthers still put five on Winnipeg, which tells you everything about where this team's depth is right now. Goals from the bottom of the lineup are the kind of win I like best.

Anton Lundell scored three, Seth Jones had a goal and two assists, and Florida finished the season series with Winnipeg in four nights, 10-3 on aggregate. It's three straight victories and an 8-4-2 record, and Akira Schmid made 22 saves for his third consecutive win.

How it went

Bokondji Imama and Tyrel Bauer dropped the gloves 2:04 in, and the first period stayed tight until Florida's power play broke it open late. Sam Reinhart buried a wrister at 18:15 with Viggo Björck in the box, set up by Carter Verhaeghe and Jones.

Lundell made it 2-0 at 2:38 of the second off a Jones feed, and then Florida handed Winnipeg a gift. Dmitry Kulikov put a puck over the glass, the bench lost a challenge on the same stoppage, and Kyle Connor converted the resulting 5-on-3 opportunity at 9:51.

Jones answered with a power-play goal of his own at 15:24, with Reinhart picking up the primary assist.

Morgan Barron cut it to 3-2 at 8:46 of the third, and Lundell settled everybody down less than five minutes later, from Lars Eller and Eetu Luostarinen at 13:33. He completed the hat trick into the empty net at 18:21.

Three things from Sunrise

1. The third line won this game. Luostarinen, Lundell and Eller were each plus-3, and the center was the obvious reason. Lundell came in with one goal and, by our count, a six-game pointless streak.

He left with the first hat trick of his career on eight shots. Luostarinen arrived pointless in eleven straight games and collected his first two assists of the season.

2. Seth Jones owns October. Three more points gave him 18 for the month, the most ever by a Panthers defenseman in a single month, passing the 17 Keith Yandle put up in March 2018.

By our count, Jones had nothing in his first three games and has points in nine of the eleven since. He also blocked three shots in 24:16 of ice time.

3. Sandis Vilmanis is making his case. Skating alongside Verhaeghe and Reinhart, he delivered seven hits and drew two penalties in the third period. His 16:05 was up 3.5 minutes from Tuesday in Winnipeg, per NHL data. Coaches notice a young forward who makes the opposing defensemen hurry.

Ferda play of the night

Imama. He fought Bauer 2:04 into the game, accepted the five-minute major, and played only 6:07 all evening. He knew exactly what the deal was when he dropped them, and that's a full-ferda shift.

Pabs' read

This team keeps winning without Barkov and Marchand, and tonight it won without a point from either Tkachuk. Brady still put six shots on Nico Daws, and that's the kind of depth you can carry through a long regular season.

The second period is my gripe. A puck over the glass and an unsuccessful challenge on the same whistle turned a comfortable 2-0 game into a one-goal game. Clean that up and Florida closes this one before the third.

For the bettors: Florida closed as a heavy favorite, around -218, with a 6.5 total. The empty-netter covered the puck line and pushed the total over. 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Winnipeg came in 0-4-1 over its last five by our count, and the Jets leave Sunrise still searching for answers. That's not Florida's problem. Dale.

Next game

Detroit visits Monday at 7 p.m. ET at Amerant Bank Arena with a fourth consecutive win on the table, and the game page has the matchup.