The Florida Panthers face the Winnipeg Jets, and Paul Maurice is trying to wipe away a lingering trend
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Jonathan Ouimet
Jan 22, 2026 (10:39)
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Photo credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Florida Panthers Winnipeg Jets road trip with Matthew Tkachuk back and Brad Marchand injury talk getting loud
Thursday in Winnipeg is not cute, the forecast is sitting around a minus 29 high and minus 35 low.
Florida is trying to shake off a weird Monday, a 4 to 1 loss to San Jose that still had Matthew Tkachuk's return buzzing.
Getting him back changes the tone of every top six shift.
The standings math is real now, Florida has been chasing all month at 25-20-3.
Winnipeg has been stuck in its own mud at 20-23-6, but the building always feels alive when they smell a rebound.
Winnipeg can still punch with skill, Mark Scheifele sits at 23-35-58 and Kyle Connor is right there at 23-33-56.
If Florida's gaps get lazy, those two can turn one missed assignment into a backdoor tap in.
The biggest Florida question is health, and Brad Marchand is the one everyone keeps checking for in warmup.
Maurice put it plainly: «He's certainly close, day-to-day,» then added, «Whether it happens on this road trip, I don't know yet.»
Maurice also said, «We are just kind of building off how he comes in each day So we'll need him to wake up tomorrow at least, and then probably the next day, before we start feeling that he's right there.»
That sure sounds like Florida still needs to survive without him.
Paul Maurice returns as Florida Panthers face Winnipeg Jets
The vibe around this team is tense, because the window is open but the points are slipping.
Maurice admitted the trip still hits him, «I do look forward to it There's great memories in that place, so it's a fun trip.»
It has just not been fun on the scoreboard for him.
Since taking over in Florida, he is 0-3 in Winnipeg.
Maurice even joked, «I don't know if we've ever won in there Other than the final scores, it's been good.»
Florida's projected top line has Eetu Luostarinen with Anton Lundell and Sam Reinhart, a group that can grind in the corners and still finish.
The second line is the heater, Carter Verhaeghe with Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk, and that trio can tilt the ice if the man advantage gets chances.
The middle six reads Mackie Samoskevich with Evan Rodrigues and A.J. Greer, then Sandis Vilmanis with Luke Kunin and Jesper Boqvist. That is a lot of forecheck responsibility in a loud rink.
On the blue line it's Gus Forsling with Aaron Ekblad, Niko Mikkola with Uvis Balinskis, then Tobias Bjornfot with Jeff Petry.
If Florida can get through the first ten minutes, the game opens up, and the road trip through Minnesota on Saturday and Chicago on Sunday looks a lot less scary.
Also read on Sunrise Hockey Insider :
Paul Maurice's latest update on Brad Marchand's return for the Florida Panthers
Paul Maurice's latest update on Brad Marchand's return for the Florida Panthers