SUNRISE, Fla. (Interstat) — The Winnipeg Jets scored twice in the third period to erase a deficit and defeat the Florida Panthers 2-1 on Saturday afternoon at Amerant Bank Arena. Eetu Luostarinen gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead with a first-period goal. The Jets responded in the third as Cole Perfetti tied the game and Mark Scheifele scored the winner with 14:14 remaining. Winnipeg goaltender Eric Comrie made 27 saves for the win before an announced crowd of 19,895. The Jets improved to 22-32. The Panthers fell to 28-26. Florida had won the previous meeting between the teams in a shootout on Jan. 22.

SUNRISE, Fla. (Interstat) — Goaltender Eric Comrie turned aside 27 shots and the Winnipeg Jets scored twice in the third period to rally for a 2-1 victory over the Florida Panthers on Saturday afternoon at Amerant Bank Arena. The Jets, who entered the game with the third-fewest points in the NHL, snapped a two-game skid and improved to 22-32-0. The Panthers fell to 28-26-0 before an announced crowd of 19,895. Comrie was the cornerstone of the win, outdueling Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky, who made 19 saves. The Jets’ netminder was particularly sharp early, weathering a first-period barrage from the Panthers that saw them hold a 12-4 advantage in shots. Florida broke through late in the opening period. At the 14:40 mark, Eetu Luostarinen deflected a point shot from Gustav Forsling past Comrie. Evan Rodrigues also assisted on Luostarinen’s sixth goal of the season, giving the Panthers a 1-0 lead they would carry deep into the game. The middle frame was a tense, scoreless affair dominated by defensive structure and missed opportunities. Both teams killed off penalties, with Winnipeg negating two Florida power plays and the Panthers killing one. Bobrovsky made several key stops, including a point-blank denial of Winnipeg’s Gabriel Vilardi midway through the period, to preserve the slim margin. Winnipeg’s persistence finally paid off in the third period. After controlling play for much of the final frame, the Jets tied the game at 1-1 with 5:26 remaining. A sustained offensive-zone shift culminated in Cole Perfetti firing a wrist shot from the slot past Bobrovsky for his fifth goal. Vilardi and Adam Lowry provided the assists. The Jets completed the comeback just over two minutes later. At the 17:46 mark of the third, Mark Scheifele collected a pass from Kyle Connor and snapped a quick shot from the right circle that beat Bobrovsky on the glove side. Gustav Nyquist earned the secondary assist on Scheifele’s team-leading 27th goal of the season. Florida pulled Bobrovsky for an extra attacker with just over two minutes to play but could not solve Comrie again. The Panthers’ final flurry included a dangerous shot from Sam Reinhart that Comrie smothered, sealing the road victory for Winnipeg. The game was a physical contest featuring 44 combined hits. Winnipeg’ Logan Stanley was assessed a cross-checking penalty in the first period, while Florida’s Sam Bennett took a slashing minor later in the frame. The Panthers were cited for too many men on the ice in the first period and took two more penalties in the third, hampering their ability to mount offensive pressure while protecting their lead. The result avenged a 2-1 shootout loss the Jets suffered to the Panthers just nine days prior in Winnipeg. According to National Statistical, the Panthers had been projected as significant favorites with a 63.3% probability to win and a pregame spread of -1.5. The total of three goals fell well under the over/under line of 5.5. For Winnipeg, the win provides a positive start to a challenging road stretch. The Jets continue their trip against the Dallas Stars on Monday. The Panthers, who have lost three of their last four, look to regroup when they host the Buffalo Sabres on Monday.

Panthers Host Jets in Southeast Showdown SUNRISE, Fla. (Interstat) — The Florida Panthers look to solidify their playoff positioning when they host the struggling Winnipeg Jets at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. Florida (28-25-0) enters with a seven-point edge over Winnipeg (21-32-0) in the standings and seeks a season sweep after edging the Jets 2-1 in a shootout just nine days ago in Winnipeg. The Panthers are coming off a high-scoring 5-4 road loss to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, where forward Matthew Tkachuk led the charge with two goals and an assist. Tkachuk, a key player to watch, also had an assist in the previous win over Winnipeg and has recorded four points in his last two games. Winnipeg aims to halt a two-game skid after a 4-1 loss in Tampa Bay on Thursday. Despite the defeat, winger Kyle Connor scored his team’s lone goal, firing five shots on net. Connor remains the Jets’ most consistent offensive threat, with points in seven of his last eleven contests. The Jets have struggled for consistency, posting a 4-6-0 record in their last 10 games. Their offense has been sporadic, scoring two or fewer goals in five of those outings. Florida has been marginally better over the same stretch at 5-5-0, but has shown a knack for close victories, including three one-goal wins in January. Special teams could prove critical. The Panthers’ power play, fueled by Tkachuk and Sam Reinhart, who had a goal and an assist against St. Louis, will test a Winnipeg penalty kill that ranks in the league’s bottom third. According to National Statistical’s game simulator, the Panthers are projected to win a tight 3-2 decision. The Panthers begin a three-game homestand with this contest before hosting Buffalo on Monday. The Jets continue a road trip that moves to Dallas on Monday.