Verhaeghe and the Tkachuks torch the Jets in a 5-1 trip closer

Panthers 5, Jets 1. The power play cashed in three times, the Tkachuk brothers piled up seven points, and Florida turned a road trip that opened with two ugly losses into a respectable split.

How it went

Florida had this one decided by the 10:18 mark of the first period. Cole Koepke went off for holding, and Carter Verhaeghe buried a backhand at 7:27, with Brady Tkachuk and Seth Jones on the play.

Seventy-five seconds later, Niko Mikkola's cross-ice pass deflected off Mario Ferraro's stick and in. Then Winnipeg got caught with too many men on the ice, and Verhaeghe ripped a slapshot for his second power-play goal of the period.

The Jets got one back in the second. Adam Lowry's unassisted, shorthanded wraparound at 12:27 needed a video review to count, with Mark Scheifele in the box for high-sticking. The momentum lasted 47 seconds. On that same power play, Sam Reinhart snapped one home from the Tkachuk brothers to make it 4-1.

Brady finished it with a tip-in at 12:10 of the third, from Matthew and Mikkola. Akira Schmid made 24 saves on 25 shots, and Winnipeg's losing streak reached six.

Three things from Winnipeg

1. The power play is a real weapon again. Florida went 3-for-5 and converted two lazy Jets penalties within three minutes. The cats now have 13 power-play goals in their last eight games. Right now, any opponent that gives this unit possession and space is going to pay for it immediately.

2. The Tkachuks ran the entire show. Matthew had four assists and Brady had a goal and two helpers, seven points between them. By our count, Matthew has 20 points through 13 games and Brady has 15. Seth Jones added three assists, every one of them in the first period, and logged 25:02.

3. Schmid delivered the clean 60 we asked for. He arrived with a .872 save percentage on the season, per NHL data. Tonight he stopped 24 of 25, and the only puck that beat him was a wraparound while his team was on the power play. He stopped all seven third-period shots, too.

It's his fourth win in his last five starts, exactly the trend Florida needs while Jacob Markstrom recovers.

Ferda play of the night

Garnet Hathaway. Six hits and two blocked shots in 14:15, and no points to show for any of it. Hathaway, Bokondji Imama and Cole Schwindt each played nine minutes or less in Chicago. Tonight all three cleared 11 minutes, per NHL data.

Paul Maurice trusted that group to protect a comfortable road lead, and Hathaway answered by finishing every available check. That's the unglamorous work that lets the skill players do their thing.

What they said

Maurice on the power play: "It's won us a bunch of games this year early."

Jones on his goalie: "Unbelievable. Saves when we need him -- slot chances, great chances. He's been a rock back there for us."

Verhaeghe kept it simple on the brothers who set him up: "Those are two special players."

Pabs' read

My preview predicted a 3-2 grinder. I'll happily be wrong in this direction every time. Florida closed around -130 at DraftKings, covered the -1.5 puck line for only the third time this season by our count, and six goals stayed under the 6.5 total. (21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.)

The worry hasn't changed, though. Eetu Luostarinen is pointless in 11 straight games and Anton Lundell in six, by our count, even after Lundell fired four shots tonight. When the power play eventually cools off, the secondary scoring has to show up.

Still, 7-4-2 without Aleksander Barkov, Brad Marchand and Markstrom is a good place to be. Dale.

Next game

Friday against Winnipeg in Sunrise, 7 PM ET at Amerant Bank Arena. Same Jets, our building, and they'll arrive angry.