Panthers beat Jets 5-1 as Verhaeghe scores twice

WINNIPEG _ Carter Verhaeghe scored twice in the first period and Matthew Tkachuk had four assists as the Florida Panthers beat the Winnipeg Jets 5-1 on Tuesday night.

Florida scored three times in the first 10:18 at Canada Life Centre and never trailed, according to the NHL’s official play-by-play. Verhaeghe opened the scoring at 7:27, with assists to Brady Tkachuk and Seth Jones. Niko Mikkola made it 2-0 at 8:42 on a play set up by Jones and Matthew Tkachuk, and Verhaeghe added his second at 10:18, again with help from Matthew Tkachuk and Jones.

Adam Lowry got Winnipeg on the board at 12:27 of the second period with an unassisted goal. Sam Reinhart restored the three-goal lead 47 seconds later, at 13:14, with assists from Brady and Matthew Tkachuk. Brady Tkachuk sealed it at 12:10 of the third, set up by his brother Matthew and Mikkola.

By the NHL’s count, Matthew Tkachuk was credited with an assist on four of Florida’s five goals. Matthew Tkachuk was among the most searched names in Canada on Tuesday evening, according to Google Trends Canada.

The shot totals were close. Florida goaltender Akira Schmid stopped 24 of 25 shots, while Winnipeg’s Clay Stevenson made 19 saves on 24 shots, according to the ESPN box score. The crowd was 14,336. Each team blocked nine or 10 shots, with the Panthers blocking 10 and the Jets nine.

The Panthers improved to 7-4-2. The Jets fell to 4-5-3, down from 4-4-3 after Sunday’s Heritage Classic loss to Montreal.

It was the second game for Winnipeg since the club traded goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to the New Jersey Devils on Friday. The Jets received Dawson Mercer, Daws and picks in the deal. On Sunday, Jacob Fowler made 33 saves as the Canadiens beat the Jets 2-1 outdoors in front of 32,342 fans at Princess Auto Stadium.

Winnipeg has not had much time to settle. It plays Montreal again on Nov. 3 at Canada Life Centre, which will be the Jets’ first home game against the Canadiens since the Heritage Classic.

Four different players scored for Florida in the game.

Elsewhere in the NHL on Tuesday, the Montreal Canadiens beat the St. Louis Blues 2-0 behind 46 saves from Fowler.

If you find reporting like this useful, consider supporting Canada News Media, an independent Canadian newsroom with no corporate parent.

File photo, not from the game described: Dallas Stars centre Roope Hintz scores against Winnipeg Jets goaltender Stuart Skinner in Dallas on Oct. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Via the NHL and ESPN.