Panthers Lose OT Heartbreaker To Jets, 3-2
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Keeping the penalties to a minimum, the Winnipeg Jets shook off a lackluster start to snap a three-game losing streak.
Bryan Little scored on the power play with 16 seconds left in overtime Tuesday night, lifting the Jets to a 3-2 win over the Florida Panthers.
Little took a pass inside the Panthers' zone and wired a shot past Florida goalie Scott Clemmensen.
The Jets took just two penalties on the night after finding their way to the box far too often on their recent slide.
But Tuesday didn't start off well for Winnipeg, which came out flat, giving away the puck four times and winning only one of 10 faceoffs in the first period.
"We looked like we'd never been together, really, it was really difficult to watch us play," Winnipeg coach Claude Noel said.
Added Jets captain Andrew Ladd: "We kind of sat back, instead of putting pressure on them up ice, we let them gather speed and come at us full throttle."
But after trailing 1-0 in the second, the Jets found their legs in the middle period as the teams headed to the third tied 2-2.
"I thought that the second period we did a better job of getting the forecheck going, getting on our toes and trying to create stuff offensively," Ladd said.
Panthers coach Kevin Dineen was happy his team got a point, but felt they deserved a better fate.
"We worked hard and had great chances," Dineen said. "It feels like a loss and not so much as a point gained."
Blake Wheeler and Mark Stuart also scored for the Jets, while Jonathan Huberdeau and Tomas Fleischmann had the Panthers' goals.
Winnipeg goaltender Ondrej Pavelec made 17 stops in what he said was an important win after the team had dropped three on the road.
"It was huge after the road trip (where) we didn't play well, we came in this building, we feel comfortable here," he said. "It's special to play in front of those crowds. It doesn't matter who you play, Florida, Tampa, we needed two points, especially after the road trip."
Huberdeau banged in Drew Shore's rebound at 18:12 of the first to open the scoring. The Panthers outshot the Jets 7-3, who didn't record a shot on target until there were under six minutes to play in the period.
Winnipeg dialed up its intensity in the second and Wheeler put the Jets on the board from the point at 2:28, when he slammed Tobias Enstrom's pass past Clemmensen, who made 18 saves on the night.
But Florida regained the lead less than two minutes later on Fleischmann's shot from the point that sailed past Pavelec.
Stuart's wrist shot, his first goal this season, beat Clemmensen between the pads at 12:21 to tie it again, as the Jets outshot Florida 14-5 in the period.
The third was scoreless, with neither team able to capitalize on a power-play opportunity.
The Jets, who finished the night 1 for 4 with the man advantage after Little's winner, welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday before heading out on the road again.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
