Sunday’s 2-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens in the Heritage Classic was the Winnipeg Jets’ fifth consecutive defeat by a single goal. Winnipeg hosts the Florida Panthers at Canada Life Centre on Tuesday, October 27, looking to turn those narrow margins into a different result.

Florida arrives after a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on October 25 and has won three of its last five games. For the Jets, finding offence beyond Mark Scheifele’s line is a priority after another close loss.

Jets head coach Scott Arniel was direct about the scoring burden after the Montreal game.

“We need secondary [scoring]. We need other people stepping up, and it makes it hard if all the heat’s on Scheif’s line to try to do that,” Arniel said.

Kyle Connor has nine goals, three assists, and 49 shots through 11 games this season, while Scheifele has two goals and six assists over the same span. Connor’s finishing has given Winnipeg something to lean on, but the Jets need more offensive shifts that don’t depend on that unit delivering.

Arniel’s prescription starts around the crease rather than with a more elaborate play.

“You got to get to the net. You got to go get greasy goals, something that bounces off your skate or your foot or your back, whatever it is,” he said. “You know, we got to get inside.”

The power play is another area Winnipeg needs to improve. The Jets have gone 0-for-12 over their previous four games, especially noteworthy since all of those games have represented one-goal losses.

Florida killed seven penalties against Chicago, giving Winnipeg’s struggling power play a relevant test. Panthers coach Paul Maurice still urged his players to stay out of the penalty box after that win. The Jets need to make any opportunities count, but one successful penalty-killing performance does not make Florida unbeatable shorthanded.

Matthew Tkachuk has four goals and 12 assists in Florida’s first 12 games this season, with a point in 10. Seth Jones has points in six of his previous seven games, collecting 11 assists during that stretch. Winnipeg’s defensive attention needs to extend beyond the forwards: Jones’s production makes coverage of the options coming from the blue line part of the challenge, too. Florida has recent results to build on, but Winnipeg’s focus remains on generating more support for its top unit without loosening its coverage at the other end.

Clay Stevenson is confirmed to start for Winnipeg, with Akira Schmid confirmed for Florida. The skater combinations below are projected. Starters and line combinations courtesy of DailyFaceoff.com.

Cole Perfetti – Mark Scheifele – Kyle Connor
Isak Rosén – Adam Lowry – Gabriel Vilardi
Dawson Mercer – Viggo Björck – Alex Iafallo
Brad Lambert – Morgan Barron – Cole Koepke

Dylan Samberg – Neal Pionk
Dylan DeMelo – Elias Salomonsson
Tyrel Bauer – Mario Ferraro

Winnipeg goalie: Clay Stevenson

Brady Tkachuk – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Sandis Vilmanis – Sam Reinhart – Carter Verhaeghe
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Lars Eller
Garnet Hathaway – Cole Schwindt – Bokondji Imama

Aaron Ekblad – Gustav Forsling
Seth Jones – Niko Mikkola
Dmitry Kulikov – Radko Gudas

Florida goalie: Akira Schmid

Winnipeg’s middle-six found some spark when Arniel used them in the third period against Montreal. They offer a starting point for the secondary scoring he is seeking, rather than a reason to assume the offence will follow. Mercer is set to make his Canada Life Centre debut on his 25th birthday.

Bauer returns to the lineup with a straightforward approach: “My game’s the same. Hard, heavy, simple, and hopefully often.”

The Jets have Nick Bjugstad out with a pectoral injury, Garrett Brown out with a lower-body injury, Josh Morrissey out with an upper-body injury and Vladislav Namestnikov out with an undisclosed injury.

Florida’s listed absences are Aleksander Barkov with a lower-body injury, Jonah Gadjovich with an upper-body injury, Brad Marchand with a leg injury and Jacob Markstrom with an upper-body injury.

Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg.