Seth Jones is carrying the Panthers while the middle heals

With the captain and Marchand both out, the guy holding the cats together plays on the blue line. Seth Jones has been the best Panther on the ice for three weeks, and it isn't close.

Here's the number: 14 points in his last eight games, by our count from NHL data. He managed a single point across the first five games of the season. Since then it's been two against Buffalo, four assists against Columbus, two more in Vancouver, and three in the 5-1 win in Winnipeg on Tuesday.

That's 15 points in 13 games, and 14 of them are assists, which means he isn't sneaking goals in so much as starting the play.

The minutes tell the rest

Jones is averaging 24.9 minutes a night, per NHL data, while Gustav Forsling is next on the team at 21.3. That's three and a half minutes a night more than anybody else Maurice trusts, with Aaron Ekblad missing two games along the way.

The early nights were heavy, with 29 minutes in the opener against Carolina and 28.6 against Anaheim. Lately it's closer to 25, as the work has spread across the defensive group.

Here's the part I like. His power-play time has come down, from 7.4 minutes on opening night to 5.5 in Winnipeg, and as low as 2.3 against Chicago. The points went up anyway, which tells you he isn't living off the man advantage.

Why it's happening

Maurice explained the difference earlier this month, and he kept it simple. "He's a fit, fit man," he said. "He's a little faster with everything he does and has got a little more confidence."

You see it on the breakout. When a D-man's a half-step quicker to the puck, he gets his head up before the forecheck arrives, and the first pass hits a stick in stride instead of a skate in the neutral zone.

That's the difference between a team that exits cleanly and one that spends 40 seconds pinned in its own end. With the middle this thin, the cats need every clean exit they can get.

What it means tonight

The Jets come to Sunrise tonight at 7, and they're in a bad way. Winnipeg is 0-4-1 in its last five with a minus-9 goal differential, and its penalty kill is at 73.5 percent, by our count. Florida's power play is at 23 percent.

Jones had three points in the last meeting, including an assist on Carter Verhaeghe's power-play opener. The plan tonight should look identical: get it to him early, let him walk the line, and make Winnipeg chase.

Barkov and Marchand are skating and on schedule, so the middle has four weeks to hold. Jones is a big reason it's holding.

Pabs' read: This is the version of Seth Jones Zito traded for. If he's the No. 1 D-man through Thanksgiving, the cats get their captain back with the standings still in good shape. Dale.