Panthers 2, Jets 1
Kris Versteeg returned from illness to score his 20th goal and Sean Bergenheim snapped a tie in the second period as the Florida Panthers held on for a 2-1 home victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Friday.
Scott Clemmensen made 19 saves for Florida, which completed a 2-0-1 homestand and moved three points ahead of idle Washington in the Southeast Division.
Versteeg, who missed Wednesday's win over the Capitals with the flu, opened the scoring with 4:14 remaining in the first period. During a power play, Versteeg beat a screened Chris Mason with a one-timer from the top of the left faceoff circle to reach the 20-goal mark for the fourth consecutive season.
Bryan Little forged a tie as he ended his 14-game goalless drought with 8 1/2 minutes remaining in the second. But Bergenheim converted a pass from behind the net by Marcel Goc three minutes later to put Florida ahead for good.
Mason stopped 28 shots for the Jets, who had their four-game winning streak at the BankAtlantic Center snapped. Winnipeg fell to 2-3-0 on its six-game road trip and has dropped eight of 12 overall.