SUNRISE - Anton Lundell scored his first NHL hat trick Friday night, erasing a slow offensive start to the season and lifting the Florida Panthers to a 5-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets at Amerant Bank Arena, Florida Hockey Now reported.
Lundell, 25, entered the game with just one goal in 13 games before scoring three times against newly acquired Jets goalie Nico Daws. The hat trick was Florida’s fifth of the season, tying the second-most in franchise history - they had six in 2021-22. Brady Tkachuk leads the team with two hat tricks this season, with Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett each adding one.
“[It] felt pretty unreal,” Lundell said postgame. “I was a little nervous because it’s a long shot, and sometimes it goes wide, but I was just happy it went in.”
Seth Jones also had a standout night, recording his second goal of the season and his fifth multi-point game of October. Jones tied Keith Yandle’s record of 17 points by a Florida defenseman in a single calendar month, set in March 2018. Jones and Matthew Tkachuk also became the ninth set of teammates in NHL history to each register 15 assists in a single October, and just the third forward-defenseman combination to do so, joining Pittsburgh’s Mario Lemieux and Paul Coffey in 1988 and New York’s Brian Leetch and Darren Turcotte in 1990.
“I think you saw kind of a weight off his shoulders in the celebration on that first goal,” Jones said of Lundell. “We were making fun of him after the game. But it’s nice to see him put one in. I know he’s been working really hard during the games and doing his job every night.”
Sam Reinhart added a power-play goal and assisted on Jones’ goal in the second period. Goaltender Akira Schmid earned his third straight win with 22 saves. The Panthers have now won three consecutive games, including the past two against Winnipeg, which has dropped eight straight.
Panthers coach Paul Maurice had dismissed concerns about Lundell’s offensive production before Friday, pointing to the young Finn’s defensive value. “Our concern would be for him, that his confidence wouldn’t be where it needs to be,” Maurice said. “What he is great at is what happened in the third period tonight when [Kyle] Connor and [Mark] Scheifele go together. He, Eetu [Luostarinen] and Lars [Eller], that was their best hockey. That’s his strength. That’s what we count on the most for.”
Lundell, who already has two Stanley Cups with Florida, was reportedly sought by Winnipeg last offseason as part of a potential trade for three-time Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck. The Panthers declined. Hellebuyck was ultimately dealt to the New Jersey Devils, with Daws coming to Winnipeg in that deal.
The Panthers host the Detroit Red Wings on Monday at 7 p.m. at Amerant Bank Arena in what Florida Hockey Now noted is the Hometown Remix Debut. Florida leads the all-time regular season series against Detroit 43-22-7 with five ties and won last season’s meeting 3-1. The Panthers’ next home game after Monday is Wednesday against the Chicago Blackhawks at 7 p.m.