WINNIPEG -- Mathieu Perreault scored a career-high four goals to lead the Winnipeg Jets to an 8-2 victory Tuesday against the Florida Panthers at MTS Centre.
Perreault scored twice in the first 11:24 to help the Jets to a two-goal lead before the game turned into a rout. The win was the 500th of Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice's NHL career.
Dustin Byfuglien scored twice for the Jets, and Jay Harrison and Evander Kane each had one goal. Byfuglien also had an assist for his first three-point game since March 16.
Perreault's four goals tied a franchise record. Most recently, Ilya Kovalchuk scored four on Nov. 11, 2005, when the franchise was the Atlanta Thrashers.
Perreault is on a four-game point streak (six goals, two assists). His linemates, center Mark Scheifele and right wing Michael Frolik, each had two assists, as did Jim Slater and Toby Enstrom.
The eight goals on home ice also tied a franchise record.
An offseason signing as a free agent from the Anaheim Ducks expected to be the Jets' third-line center, Perreault had two goals and three assists in his first 24 games with Winnipeg. Jets coach Paul Maurice moved Perreault to left wing on a line with Scheifele and Frolik, and Perreault has 13 goals and nine assists in his past 19 games.
Perreault has 15 goals in 43 games this season after scoring 18 goals in 69 games last season.
The loss ended Florida's three-game winning streak. The Panthers had won four of the first five games of their season-high six-game road trip before facing Winnipeg.
Florida's Dave Bolland and Brad Boyes scored.
Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongo started for the fifth time in the past six games and had 16 saves before the Jets' fourth goal ended his night. Al Montoya, who spent the past two seasons with Winnipeg, finished in relief with 11 saves. Rookie goaltender Michael Hutchinson made 25 saves for Winnipeg.
Winnipeg took a 1-0 lead 7:24 into the game when Perreault finished a centering a pass from Zach Bogosian. At 11:24, Perreault's snap shot from the right circle on the power play made it 2-0.
Byfuglien's 10th goal moved Winnipeg's lead to 3-0. His left-circle snap shot off a rush beat Luongo glove side at 3:39.
Bolland's first goal of the season 1:36 after Byfuglien's goal made it 3-1. However, Byfuglien's second goal of the game at 6:23 put the Jets back up by three goals.
In 18 games since moving to defense when injuries struck the Winnipeg blue line in late November and December, Byfuglien has six goals and 10 assists.
Perreault completed his hat trick when he tipped Enstrom's shot through Montoya's pads at 15:23 of the second period. The other hat trick in Perreault's career came against the Boston Bruins on Jan. 24, 2012, when he played for the Washington Capitals.
Perreault's fourth of the game at 16:32 made it 6-1.
Harrison's goal at 4:26 of the third period, a goal from Boyes at 5:39 and a power-play goal from Kane with 6:12 left in the game finished the scoring.
Perreault's hat trick was the second this season for the Jets. Against the Colorado Avalanche on Dec. 5, center Bryan Little had the franchise's first hat trick since Dec. 18, 2010.
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