Little scores in OT, Jets beat Panthers 3-2

[February 06, 2013]  WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) -- Bryan Little scored on a power play in overtime to lift the Winnipeg Jets to a 3-2 win over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.

Blake Wheeler and Mark Stuart also scored for the Jets.

Jonathan Huberdeau and Tomas Fleischmann scored for the Panthers.

Ondrej Pavelec made 17 saves for Winnipeg and Scott Clemmensen had 18 saves for Florida.

The Jets came out flat in the first, giving up the puck four times and winning only one of 10 faceoffs.

They also came up short on their lone power-play opportunity when Tobias Enstrom cut their two minutes down to one with a hooking call.

On their best scoring opportunity, Little's shot went high and, even though it bobbled up and around the net, linemate Andrew Ladd couldn't get control of the puck for a follow-up.

Huberdeau banged in Drew Shore's rebound at 18:12 to make it 1-0 just before the end of the first. The Panthers outshot the Jets 7-3 and Winnipeg didn't get credited with a shot until almost 14 minutes had passed.

They came on stronger in the second and Wheeler put the Jets on the board from the point at 2:28 when he slammed a pass from Enstrom past Clemmensen.

But Florida regained the lead less than two minutes later on Fleischmann's mirror-image shot from the point that sailed past Pavelec.

Stuart's wrister, his first goal this season, sailed between Clemmensen's pads at 12:21 to tie it again, as the Jets outshot Florida 14-5 in the period.

The third was scoreless and neither team could capitalize on a power-play opportunity, but the Jets finally made the extra man work with 16 seconds left in overtime.

NOTES: The Jets started the game with the highest-scoring defense in the NHL -- seven goals and 26 points -- led by Enstrom's team-high 11 points. ... The Panthers' Peter Mueller had scored a goal in each of his last four games.

[Associated Press]

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