Champs Hold Serve: Florida Panthers Smash Winnipeg Jets

SUNRISE — The Winnipeg Jets may have the best record in the NHL, but on Saturday night, the Florida Panthers proved they are still the big dog on the block.

Yeah, the Stanley Cup champions have some fight in them. 

The Panthers, a little bruised from a couple of lopsided and lackadaisical losses to the Devils, showed they should be taken very seriously. 

Florida beat the Jets up and down the ice in a 5-0 win on Saturday.

The Panthers gave Paul Maurice — and Nate Schmidt as well — a little satisfaction in a game that was over midway through the second period. 

Even with that large white championship banner hanging way above center ice, the Panthers had something to prove after getting kicked around by New Jersey these past few games. 

Winnipeg, coming in with a 15-2 record, appeared to give the Panthers the motivation they needed to get their game back on track. 

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Perhaps, as Maurice alluded to, the long road trip to Finland finally caught up to Florida’s legs in those losses to the Devils.

Regardless, Florida was ready to roll on Saturday night.

“I think two games in a row was enough for us,’’ said Evan Rodrigues, who gave the Panthers a 3-0 lead in the second. 

“We were ready to go from puck drop on this one. Playing a good team will help you do that. Hopefully, we can keep riding it for a little bit.”

A little bit means a rematch with the Jets on Tuesday night. 

As Winnipeg was heading out of the arena headed to the airport for a four-plus hour flight home, the Panthers were soaking up a win they did not need to prove anything — but felt good anyway.

The Panthers had to marinate in those two losses to the Devils, and Thursday’s 6-2 rout had a pretty bad aroma. 

Maurice, who has plenty of wins against the Atlanta Thrashers but never beat the Winnipeg Jets after coaching them for parts of nine seasons, was confident his team would come back in a fighting mood following a rough go against the Devils. 

Florida took a 1-0 lead when Gus Forsling’s shot to the net bounced off Mackie Samoskevich and went past Connor Hellebuyck. 

The Panthers dominated play in the first, but it was still a toss-up going into the second.

Things quickly changed. 

Schmidt, who was dumped by the Jets last summer and jumped at the chance to join the Panthers, pounced on a rebound off a Sam Bennett shot and made it 2-0 at 2:07 of the second. 

“I disconnected for a second,’’ Schmidt said. “I was watching Bennett as a fan. I stopped skating for a second, thought ‘Wow! Nice play! Oh, I should probably be on there.’ 

“But it felt good, especially at that time of the game. It was still a tight game at that point. To get something like that feels good, and it really feels good after our past couple of games. 

Not long later, Rodrigues scored on a rebound in front of the net. 

Sasha Barkov, whose shot E-Rod scored on, all but ended things with a shorthanded goal off a Sam Reinhart shot off the crossbar. 

Barkov had himself a night with a goal and two assists; Reinhart had three helpers. 

Oh, and Sergei Bobrovsky got his first shutout of the season with 27 saves. 

Not a bad night for the Panthers. 

“The people who are leaders in the room were really good tonight,’’ said Maurice, who had been 0-3-1 against his former team. 

“Our biggest minute-men were very good. Sergei is always our biggest minute-guy, and he was very good, very solid.”

The Jets started their season in historic fashion, becoming the first NHL team to win 15 of their first 16 games. 

But they landed in Winnipeg early Sunday having lost their past two games in the Sunshine State, scoring just one goal. 

Winnipeg was outscored 9-1 in losses to the Lightning and Panthers — but plays host to Florida on Tuesday night. 

The Panthers will fly to Manitoba on Monday and know the Jets are already salivating at the thought of a rematch. 

“I do prefer a home-and-home because now we’re going back to their building,’’ Maurice said. 

“Should be a great game. They will be at their best, for sure.’’ 

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ON DECK: GAME 19

FLORIDA PANTHERS AT WINNIPEG JETS 

• When: Tuesday, 8 p.m.
• Where: Canada Life Center; Winnipeg, Manitoba
• Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FTL); WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (Naples/FTM)
• Streaming: Panthers+, ESPN+
• Radio: WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
• Last season: Winnipeg won 2-0
• This season (Panthers Lead 1-0) — At Florida: Panthers 5, Jets 0 (Saturday). At Winnipeg: Tuesday.
• All-time regular season series: Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets lead 54-32-8, 5 ties
• Up Next for the Panthers: Thursday at Chicago Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN+/Hulu ONLY)