Florida brings the better record and a hot points leader to face a Winnipeg team desperate to stop five straight one-goal losses.
The stakes are sharp at Canada Life Centre: Florida is 6-4-2 with 14 points, while Winnipeg is 4-4-3 with 11 and has lost five straight. The Panthers arrive 3-2 in their last five and 15th in the power index, four places ahead of the Jets, who are 19th. Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor has nine goals and 12 points in 11 games; Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk leads the listed scorers with 16 points, including 12 assists in 12 games. The key is whether the Jets can turn their string of one-goal defeats into a win by limiting Tkachuk’s playmaking and getting Connor’s scoring to swing a tight game.