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Friday, December 20, 2013

{allcanada} Jets ride power play past Panthers, end home skid

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WINNIPEG -- The Winnipeg Jets ended the Florida Panthers' five game-winning streak with a 5-2 victory Friday night at MTS Centre, and in the process put an end to their own lengthy winless drought at home.

Two power-play goals by Tobias Enstrom and Blake Wheeler 33 seconds apart in the first period broke open a 1-1 game that saw Winnipeg hold leads of 4-1 and 5-2 by the end of the second period.

The Jets' 26th-ranked power play, which went 2-for-4 against Florida, has found traction lately, scoring in five of the team's past six games (7-for-23) after an 0-for-22 slide that extended seven games.

The win ended the Jets' six-game losing streak (0-3-3) on home ice. They had not won at MTS Centre since a 3-2 shootout victory against the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 15. It was their first home regulation victory since a 5-0 win against the Nashville Predators on Nov. 8.

Florida had won seven of its past eight games before Friday. The game wrapped up a four-game Canadian road trip for the Panthers, who will return to South Florida for a five-game homestand that extends into January. The Jets play three of their next four games on the road, including a date Sunday against the Vancouver Canucks.

Florida forward Shawn Matthias opened the scoring 7:45 into the game with his fourth goal, ending a14-game goalless drought. Nick Bjugstad also scored for Florida.

The Jets scored three unanswered goals to end the first. Rookie defenseman Jacob Trouba tied the game at 1-1 with his first goal since his NHL debut against the Edmonton Oilers on Oct. 1. Enstrom's second goal of the season and Wheeler's 12th extended the Jets' lead to 3-1.

Evander Kane and Michael Frolik each scored his ninth goal in the second period. Rookie center Mark Scheifele had two assists to extend his point streak to five games (three goals, four assists). Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien also had two assists.

Panthers goaltender Jacob Markstrom made 27 saves his first appearance since Nov. 5. Markstrom, whom the Panthers recalled from the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League on Dec. 12, has allowed four or more goals in three of his past four NHL starts.

Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec, who lost to Florida 5-2 at home Dec. 5, stopped 21 shots.

Matthias bounced the puck through Pavelec's skates following a Byfuglien turnover in the Winnipeg defensive zone to give the Panthers the early lead.

Trouba scored to tie it while the teams played at 4-on-4. The goal came after a slew of penalties resulted in some 3-on-3 action. The 19-year-old skated the puck from the point into the low slot before shoveling a shot that snuck through Markstrom's pads.

Enstrom's slap shot on a 5-on-3 power play at 15:24 of the first period gave the Jets a 2-1 lead. Wheeler made it 3-1 on a 5-on-4 power play at 15:57.

Kane increased the Jets' lead to 4-1 at 1:03 of the second period. Frolik scooped up a Florida turnover at the Jets blue line, moved the puck down the right boards into the Florida zone and sent a pass across the slot to Kane, who lifted a shot over Markstrom.

Bjugstad cut it to 4-2 at 5:55 when he snapped a shot past Pavelec's glove. It was his seventh goal.

Frolik made it 5-2 with a snap shot that beat Markstrom with 2:07 left in the second.

Jack Frost (1998)
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