Florida Panthers textbook defense pays off against the Winnipeg Jets
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Jonathan Ouimet
Jan 22, 2026 (11:59 PM)
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Photo credit: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images
Daniil Tarasov backstops a 2-1 shootout win as the Florida Panthers smother the Winnipeg Jets, and two points on the road feel huge.
Thursday in Winnipeg was a tight, low-event game where every inch had to be earned.
Neither team found much off the rush, and the neutral zone felt like a wall all night.
The shots told the story, Florida finished with 20, Winnipeg with 18.
It was patient hockey, layers in the defensive zone, and very little «free» ice between the circles.
Tarasov stayed calm through the quiet stretches, then snapped into gear when a rebound or broken play popped loose.
He stopped 17 shots in regulation and overtime, then shut down both shootout looks he saw.
Florida finally broke the deadlock at 18:49 of the second period on a clean look off a set play.
Sam Bennett ripped a one-timer over Connor Hellebuyck's glove, and suddenly the game had a pulse.
Daniil Tarasov gives the Florida Panthers a road identity
Panthers fans loved the result because it felt like grown-up hockey, not a track meet that flips on one bad bounce.
Winnipeg tied it 1-1 at 5:24 of the third after a turnover opened a lane for Cole Perfetti.
That could have been the moment the Panthers sag, but they didn't.
Tarasov made the kind of saves that don't look flashy, but they kill momentum and keep a bench steady.
Overtime stayed scoreless, with both teams playing careful and not gifting the odd-man rush.
In the shootout, Anton Lundell scored first, then Sam Reinhart followed to put Florida up 2-0.
Tarasov turned aside Winnipeg's two attempts, and Florida walked out with a 2-1 win that felt bigger than it looked.
The Panthers improved to 26-20-3, and this is the type of defensive win that can carry into the next stop on the trip.
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