Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel comments on the Florida Panthers gritty identity
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Jonathan Ouimet
Jan 23, 2026 (12:11)
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Photo credit: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images
Florida Panthers Winnipeg Jets gritty defense and Scott Arniel quote made a 1-1 game feel like playoff hockey
This was 1-1 after regulation, but it never felt sleepy.
Florida and Winnipeg played a tight contest that still had jump, then turned 3 on 3 overtime into a full sprint.
The Panthers eventually took it 2-1 in the shootout, the kind of win that feels like it weighs more than the standings.
It was fun hockey because it was mean hockey, every inch earned, every puck touched with purpose.
Florida finished with 27 hits to Winnipeg's 24, and it matched the eye test, the Panthers wanted contact and they got it.
The Jets had skill looks, but Florida kept the middle ugly, the kind of «no free routes» defending that drives opponents nuts.
Sam Bennett scored Florida's only goal in regulation, and Matthew Tkachuk picked up the assist, his first point of the season.
Daniil Tarasov was calm when it got chaotic, stopping 17 of 18 and staying composed through that track meet overtime.
Scott Arniel saw Florida Panthers veteran edge
As a Panthers fan, you watch games like this and just nod, this is the identity, stubborn, structured, and a little annoying on purpose.
Arniel basically said the quiet part out loud at the end of his presser.
"You see their experience. They do a lot of subtle things, the interference, the hooking, maybe grabbing, the positioning. That's all stuff that veteran guys learn to do and veteran teams learn to do, but I thought we did a really good job in that area as well.'' Said Arniel.
That quote is not an insult to Florida, it's respect wrapped in frustration.
Championship teams live on details, and the Panthers' details are rarely pretty, but they are extremely repeatable.
It's stick on stick, shoulder to shoulder, one extra bump after the puck is gone, and suddenly your top line is spending its night mad instead of dangerous.
Winnipeg did push back, and that's why it was entertaining, because the Jets kept finding answers without the game turning into a penalty parade.
But when the ice shrinks late, Florida's game gets heavier, not looser, and that's how you survive coin flip nights.
If they keep banking these gritty wins, the rest of the league is going to keep saying the same thing, glad they're in the other conference.
Winnipeg Jets vs Florida Panthers post-game media: Coach Scott Arniel
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