The Chicago Blackhawks traded Seth Jones to the Florida Panthers earlier this season. Spencer Knight was the focal point of Chicago’s return, which they are very happy with.
The Panthers have to be satisfied with what they’ve gotten out of Jones so far, too. Instead of being the number one guy as he was in Chicago, he is succeeding by playing a tad bit lower in the lineup.
Jones has specifically been great for Florida in the playoffs. On Sunday night, they played Game Seven of their second round matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs. There, Jones played one of the best games of his NHL career.
In the first period, there was no scoring but Florida carried the play. It was in the second, however, that the defending Stanley Cup champions did what they do best.
It was Seth Jones who gave them a 1-0 lead in the game. Evan Rodrigues made a great play to send Jones in on the rush as a defenseman, and he didn’t miss with a beautifully placed shot.
That was the start of a three-goal frame that gave the Panthers a 3-0 lead. On the third goal, Jones made a brilliant play to avoid being flagged for offside on his zone entry ahead of the puck going in the net. Once he was safely in, he made a play that led to Jonah Gadjovich scoring.
Before the second period ended, Jones almost had his second goal and third point on a nice power move that he made to the net, but the goal was waved off. The 3-0 lead remained through the next intermission.
Former Blackhawk Max Domi made it interesting by scoring one 2:07 into the third period. 47 seconds after that, though, the Panthers took the wind right back out of the building again by making it 4-1. Sam Reinhart and Brad Marchand (ENG) made the score 6-1, which ultimately became the final.
Seth Jones and his huge game helped the Panthers eliminate the Toronto Maple Leafs. The organization is now in the Eastern Conference Finals for the third year in a row.
With Mitch Marner and John Tavares being pending unrestricted free agents, there is going to be some change in Toronto. With the way things went for them in game seven, there is no way they run it back. This could impact the off-season for Chicago, as well as many other teams around the league.
Next up for Jones and the Panthers is another team that the Blackhawks were part of a trade with this year. Taylor Hall and the Carolina Hurricanes will host Florida in game one on Tuesday night in Raleigh. That game can be seen on TNT or streamed on MAX.
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