Panthers 3, Jets 2
WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- Right winger Reilly Smith fired a pair of goals to pace the Florida Panthers to a 3-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets in NHL action Tuesday night.
Smith's second of the game, his 21st of the season, at 1:46 of the third period with the Jets killing a penalty, knotted the score 2-2. Just 1:45 later, the Panthers' seemingly ageless wonder, right winger Jaromir Jagr, notched his 21st of the season to give the visitors the lead on a wrist shot that glanced off defenseman Jacob Trouba's stick and surprised goalie Ondrej Pavelec.
Jagr, 44, is just two points back of legendary forward Gordie Howe (1,850) for third place in all-time NHL scoring. He's closing in on Mark Messier (1,887) but the best of the best, Wayne Gretzky (2,857), is well out of reach.
Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien scored his 16th goal of the season and center Andrew Copp supplied just his second of the year. Both goals came in the second period.
The Panthers (36-19-8) grabbed sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division, two points ahead of the idle Tampa Bay Lightning. The Jets (26-32-4), meanwhile, occupy last spot in the Central Division.
Florida goalie Roberto Luongo made 30 saves for his 27th victory, while Pavelec stopped 19 shots.
The Panthers were badly outshot in the first period but led 1-0 on a pretty goal orchestrated by Vincent Trocheck. The third-year center cruised down the left-side wall and sent a pass into the slot, and Smith used his stick like a pitching wedge to deflect the puck over Pavelec at 13:48.
Luongo stopped all 16 shots he faced, including a dandy off center Mark Scheifele from close range late in the period, and watched his club fire only five shots at Pavelec.
Byfuglien finally solved Luongo on the Jets' 20th shot of the game at 5:23 of the second period. After some tremendous pressure by Scheifele and right winger Nikolaj Ehlers, the burly blueliner crashed the net and chipped a rebound past the Panthers goalie.
Copp scored the go-ahead goal just 2:35 later, snaring the puck chin high with his left hand on a flip pass from center Alexander Burmistrov, dropping it down and then breaking in alone to beat Luongo on a nifty deke.
Florida's offense sputtered in the middle frame, mustering just five shots. Newly acquired right winger Teddy Purcell had a quality scoring chance with about 40 seconds left in the period but was stopped by a sprawling Pavelec.
NOTES: The Panthers were without G Al Montoya (upper body), while D Jakub Kindl and LW Garrett Wilson were healthy scratches. RW Matt Halischuk was a healthy scratch for Winnipeg. ... The game was the first of five straight at home for the Jets, who play a whopping 11 at the MTS Centre in March. ... C Quinton Howden returned to the Florida lineup on Sunday in Minneapolis against the Wild after missing five games with a concussion. ... Newly acquired LW Marko Dano played his second game in a Jets jersey but made his home debut. He was traded to the Jets, along with a 2016 first-round draft choice, by the Chicago Blackhawks for veteran LW Andrew Ladd last Thursday. ... On Tuesday morning, Panthers GM Dale Tallon announced the signing of F Jayce Hawryluk to an entry-level contract. Roblin has 30 goals and 49 assists with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League this season.