Mark Scheifele scored the go-ahead goal with 4:14 remaining in the third period, securing a 2-1 victory for the Winnipeg Jets over the Florida Panthers in Sunrise, Florida. Cole Perfetti tied the game earlier in the period, while Eetu Luostarinen had Florida's lone goal. The loss marked the Panthers' third straight defeat and their first regulation loss when leading after two periods this season.
The Winnipeg Jets overcame a 1-0 deficit entering the third period to defeat the short-handed Florida Panthers 2-1 on Saturday at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida. The Jets, who entered the game with a 1-18-2 record when trailing after two periods, rallied with two goals in just over seven minutes to snap a slump and improve to 3-4-2 in their last nine games.
Florida struck first late in the opening period when Eetu Luostarinen tipped a shot from Evan Rodrigues past Jets goaltender Eric Comrie at 14:40, giving the Panthers a 1-0 lead. The Panthers dominated chances in the first, outshooting Winnipeg 14-6, but could not add to their advantage. Sergei Bobrovsky made key stops in the second, including a glove save on Kyle Connor's backhand, to preserve the lead heading into the final frame.
Winnipeg equalized at 8:34 of the third when Cole Perfetti cleaned up a rebound from Adam Lowry's shot to make it 1-1. Then, with 4:14 left, Scheifele—one of his 27 goals this season—converted a cross-ice pass from Gabriel Vilardi for the game-winner at 15:46. Comrie finished with 27 saves, including a crucial stop on Matthew Tkachuk with 37.1 seconds remaining and additional pressure from Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett in the dying moments.
The Panthers, missing Aleksander Barkov for the entire season along with day-to-day Brad Marchand, Anton Lundell, and Seth Jones, dropped their third consecutive game and fell eight points behind the Eastern Conference's second wild-card spot. It was Florida's first loss (0-1-0) when leading after two periods, ending a 17-0-1 streak in such situations. Bobrovsky stopped 19 shots in defeat.
"It’s frustrating, but we have to look ahead," Luostarinen said. Panthers coach Paul Maurice noted the tight game: "When you play in these tight games, it’s going to be one shot." The teams split their season series. Winnipeg visits Dallas on Monday, while Florida hosts Buffalo the same day.