Mark Scheifele scored in each period for his ninth career hat trick and the host Winnipeg Jets beat the Florida Panthers 6-3 on Tuesday night.
Three days after Winnipeg lost 5-0 at Florida to suffer back-to-back losses for the first time this season, it got back at the Panthers to close a home-and-home set. Scheifele capped his hat trick with 10:14 left in regulation with a nifty goal just after a power play ended to give the Jets a 4-2 cushion.
That marker proved key, as Matthew Tkachuk got Florida within 4-3 with a power-play goal past screened Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (20 saves) with 3:22 left in the third period. However, Morgan Barron recorded two short-handed empty-netters to provide some insurance for Winnipeg, which improved to 9-1-0 at home.
A.J. Greer and Sam Reinhart also scored for the Panthers, who have lost three of their past four games after winning seven straight. The result also ended a six-game road winning streak for Florida.
While the Panthers showed some early pressure against Hellebuyck, the Jets struck first. Kyle Connor, who had failed to record a point in five of his previous six games, cruised through the slot and backhanded the puck past Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (21 saves) with 5:47 remaining in the first period.
The Jets made it 2-0 with 2:20 to play before the first intermission. Off a drop pass from Gabriel Vilardi, Scheifele made his way into the circle, then sent a wrister by Bobrovsky.
Winnipeg failed to convert a five-on-three advantage early in the second. However, the Jets managed to notch a power-play goal with 4:19 remaining in the period, when Nikolaj Ehlers sent a circle-to-circle pass for Scheifele to successfully one-time.
Florida finally answered with 2:36 left before the second intermission. Greer sent the puck through traffic, where it was redirected off two Jets before going past Hellebuyck.
The Panthers got within 3-2 at 7:10 of the third via their own power-play score. Florida’s relentless pressure on the man advantage was rewarded through Reinhart, who has nine goals during an 11-game point streak.
