In a twist of poetic justice, Seth Jones turned a tough day for his family into a triumphant night on the ice. Just hours after his father, Ronald “Popeye” Jones, watched his Denver Nuggets suffer a crushing 125–93 Game 7 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Western Conference semifinals, Seth led the Florida Panthers to a commanding 6-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs’ Second Round. The win propelled the Panthers to their third straight Eastern Conference Final, setting up a rematch with the Carolina Hurricanes.
At 6’4” and 213 pounds, Seth Jones is a towering presence on the blue line, blending elite skill with poise under pressure. Acquired by the Panthers in a blockbuster trade in March 2025, he’s become a cornerstone of their playoff push. In Game 7, Jones set the tone early, sparking the offense with a blistering goal (his third of the playoffs) at 3:15 in the second period on a 2-on-1 rush. Though he nearly added another at 15:01, the play was waved off for goaltender interference. Still, his impact was undeniable, helping the Panthers improve to a 4-1 all-time record in Game 7s, including three straight under Head Coach Paul Maurice.
Yes, the Panthers’ dominance in the series was a team effort. Brad Marchand led all skaters with eight points (3 goals, 5 assists) in the series, while 20 different Panthers recorded at least one point. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was a brick wall, allowing two or fewer goals in each of the final four games, including a 23-save shutout in Game 4. But for Jones, the victory carried extra weight. In the post-game press conference, he reflected on his father’s tough day. “I’m sure he already texted me. I was watching a little bit of the first half this afternoon before our game, they, it wasn’t pretty for him.” Jones said. “It wasn’t pretty for him. I’m sure when I look at my phone, I’ll have something from him.” The Nuggets’ loss was a bitter one. Denver started strong, jumping to a 21-10 lead in the first quarter. But when the bench units checked in, Oklahoma City roared back, fueled by their home crowd.
The Jones fam was 1-1 in Game 7s today…
Dad Popeye lost G7 as an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets but Seth and the Cats are moving on to the ECF pic.twitter.com/NKKdcSX9fe
— NHLonTNT (@NHL_On_TNT) May 19, 2025
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