Connor Hellebuyck, Jets blank Panthers, extend win streak

Field Level Media|published: Fri 24th November, 22:56 2023

Nov 24, 2023; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele (55) moves the puck against Florida Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling (42) during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena. credits: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Connor Hellebuyck made 32 saves to lead the Winnipeg Jets to their fifth straight win, a 3-0 victory over the Florida Panthers on Friday night in Sunrise, Fla.

Winnipeg got goals from Nino Niederreiter, Nikolaj Ehlers and Adam Lowry. The Jets improved to 6-2-1 on the road while winning for the eighth time in the past nine games overall.

Hellebuyck, who won the Vezina Trophy in 2019-20, improved his career record against Florida to 8-3-0.

Florida, which fell to 7-3-0 at home, got 29 saves from Sergei Bobrovsky.

The game was highly physical, especially a third-period fight in which Winnipeg's Brenden Dillon pounded Sam Reinhart.

Florida got a boost before the game as center/captain Aleksander Barkov returned to the lineup after missing two consecutive games.

However, that move could not prevent a second straight Panthers loss during which the offense went gone cold against stellar goaltending. Florida fell 3-1 against the Boston Bruins and reigning Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark on Wednesday.

Winnipeg opened the scoring at 17:43 of the first period as Niederreiter shoved in a loose puck that trickled precariously behind Bobrovsky.

Florida kept the score close, however, by killing off the period's only penalties — interference on Nick Cousins and tripping on Bobrovsky.

The play got chippy in the second period following a hit by Cousins that sent Mark Scheifele sprawling to the ice. Both of them were sent to the penalty box — Cousins for interference and Scheifele for unsportsmanlike conduct in the aftermath of the hit.

With 33 seconds left in the second, the hostilities were renewed as Florida's Matthew Tkachuk started things with a crosscheck. He went to the box along with Winnipeg's Dylan Samberg, who was called for roughing.

The Jets made it 2-0 at 11:15 of the third as Ehlers made an impressive move to get past Panthers rookie defenseman Uvis Balinskis. A short pass by Cole Perfetti sent Ehlers loose with plenty of open ice, and Balinskis and Bobrovsky failed to stop him.

Lowry's short-handed, empty-net goal gave Winnipeg a 3-0 lead, sealing the win with 3:49 left.

—Field Level Media

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