Mark Scheifele scored the go-ahead goal with 4:14 remaining as the Winnipeg Jets rallied for a 2-1 victory over the short-handed Florida Panthers on Saturday night.
Trailing 1-0 entering the third period, the Jets flipped the script on a trend that had plagued them all season. Winnipeg entered the game just 1-18-2 when trailing after two periods, but delivered a pair of goals in a span of just over seven minutes to secure the comeback.
Cole Perfetti ignited the rally by tying the game with 11:26 left in regulation, beating Sergei Bobrovsky to pull Winnipeg even. Scheifele followed by burying his 27th goal of the season, a decisive strike that stood as the game-winner and lifted the Jets to just their third win in their last nine games.
Eric Comrie was sharp in net for Winnipeg, stopping 27 shots. He preserved the lead late, turning aside a dangerous attempt by Matthew Tkachuk with 37.1 seconds remaining, then denying follow-up chances from Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett as the Panthers pressed in the closing moments.
Eetu Luostarinen scored the lone goal for Florida, which has now dropped three straight games and sits eight points back of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Sergei Bobrovsky finished with 19 saves in the loss.
The Panthers were significantly undermanned, playing without several key contributors. Florida has been without Aleksander Barkov all season and was also missing Brad Marchand (day to day), Anton Lundell, Seth Jones, and others on Saturday. Despite the absences, Florida appeared poised to extend its strong record when leading after two periods. Entering the night, the Panthers were 17-0-1 when holding a lead heading into the third, the fifth-best mark in the NHL. Saturday marked the first time this season they failed to earn at least a point in that situation.
The Jets will look to build on the comeback when they visit Dallas on Monday. The Panthers return home to host Buffalo on Monday as they try to halt their slide.
