Jets fall to Panthers, lose second straight game on road trip

Two goals 29 seconds apart from Mark Pysyk and Aaron Ekblad put the Panthers up 2-0 early. Pysyk's shot - a wrister from the top of the circle that beat Comrie short side - was one that the young goaltender says he just misread.
"(I was) maybe a little bit amped up, just trying to calm the nerves a bit and relax," said Comrie. "I thought it was going to come off high, and I just misread it.
"I've played a lot of pro hockey games, and I've been down in the first few minutes before. I understand that I have to battle back and do my best job to try and get a win."
But the Jets would get back on even terms.
First Ben Chiarot's point shot deflected off the stick of Aleksander Barkov, then Laine, and finally Ehlers before floating over the shoulder of Panthers goaltender James Reimer.

It was the start of a three-point game for Laine, his fourth multi-point outing this season.
"It doesn't matter right now to have three points or zero points, because we didn't get any points as a team," said Laine. "That's the most important thing for us. We couldn't get that. So I'm not happy."
It wasn't pretty, but it turned the momentum in the Jets favour. Adam Lowry would tie the game 2:30 later, when Brandon Tanev won a puck battle along the wall, and slide a seam pass cross-ice to Lowry on Reimer's stick side.
Lowry's shot squeaked through Reimer and trickled over the line, tying things up at two through 20 minutes.
"We started off the game in their zone for about four minutes, so I think our start was pretty good. It's 2-0, and you have to re-group and shut the game down a little bit," said Wheeler. "We fought back into it, had a lead. Tied 3-3 going into the third on the road, that's a game we expect to win."

Shortly after the first penalty had expired on a 5-on-3 power play, the Jets would take the lead on a highlight reel worthy passing play.
Scheifele gained the zone, then sent a quick pass forward to Mathieu Perreault, who sent a short one-touch drop pass back to Laine who had joined the rush. With Reimer playing Laine's shot, the Finn sent a cross ice pass to Wheeler on Reimer's right side, and the captain made no mistake, sending a wrist shot top corner to make it 3-2.
It was the only power play marker the Jets would get on the seven opportunities they had.
"That was a great chance to score. I had an empty net myself, and just couldn't score," said Laine. "But those are the chances you have to score. Late in the game, chasing one goal, and a 5-on-3, you just have to score."
Florida tied things up when the Jets got hemmed in their zone, and Colton Sceviour slid a backhand pass from below the goal line out front to Denis Malgin. His quick release got by Comrie on the glove side.
Vincent Trochek put the Panthers back in front on the power play in the opening minute of the third period. With Blake Wheeler off for high-sticking, Trochek was right outside the crease to chip home the rebound after Comrie made the initial save off a deflected point shot.
The see-saw battle continued after the Florida goal, as Patrik Laine squeezed his 14th of the season under the arm of Reimer with a quick wrist shot from his off wing just 63 seconds after Florida took the lead.
Michael Haley put the Panthers back in front for good, when he deflected a Derek MacKenzie's point shot in the slot past Comrie.
Trochek would add an empty net goal to round out the scoring.
"We had enough opportunities to score goals and finish on plays that we didn't get to the net," said Maurice. "I think we missed the net 18 times. Just a little too loose on our coverage. We've given up 10 hockey goals in the last two games. We're going to have to play a little bit of a tighter game than that."
The Jets wrap up the three-game Eastern Conference road trip on Saturday against the NHL's top team, the Tampa Bay Lightning.