On a night when Paul Maurice was given a huge ovation by Winnipeg fans, the Jets gave them plenty more to cheer about thanks to a 5-2 win over the visiting Florida Panthers Tuesday.
Mark Scheifele opened the scoring at the 13:20 mark of the opening period with the Jets on the power play as the puck found him right in front of an open net.
But Florida was quick to answer with a power play marker of their own. Just 51 seconds after the Scheifele goal, Carter Verhaeghe ripped a shot over the shoulder of Connor Hellebuyck to tie the game.
Before Jay Richardson could even finish announcing the Panthers goal, Kyle Connor fired a shot on goal that Spencer Knight didn’t seem ready for as it snuck past him to restore the Winnipeg lead.
All that chaos followed a tribute to Maurice and assistant Jamie Kompon that took place in the second broadcast timeout of the period. The two men who spent many years on the Jets bench were given a standing ovation, and both coaches appeared to be genuinely touched by the response.
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Late in the period, Matthew Tkachuk was given a five-minute penalty for spearing Brenden Dillon. The Jets blueliner was down on the ice for close to a minute before getting up, but officials reviewed the penalty and downgraded it to a two-minute minor for slashing. This prompted fans to boo Tkachuk every time he touched the puck for the rest of the night.
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Winnipeg would not cash in on that man advantage but early in the second, their lead expanded.
After a turnover in the Florida end, Pierre-Luc Dubois found Connor who wired a shot five-hole on Knight, ending his night after allowing three goals on 15 shots.
Winnipeg remained in complete control through the middle frame, adding another marker on the power play when Scheifele finished off a great passing play from Connor to make it 4-1 at the 13:23 mark.
Florida started to pour on the pressure after falling behind by three, firing 26 shots towards Hellebuyck in the second but they were unable to find the back of the net.
Just shy of the midway point of the third, the Panthers cut into the lead when Zac Dalpe scored his first of the season.
But there would be no big collapse in the third for the Jets on this night.
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Moments after Sergei Bobrovsky was pulled for an extra attacker, Adam Lowry scored into the empty net to make it 5-2.
Hellebuyck stopped 38 shots to earn the win to cap off a 3-1 homestand.
Winnipeg’s next game is Thursday night in St. Louis. Pre-game coverage on 680 CJOB begins at 5 p.m.
