Trailing 2-0 entering the third period, Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart each lit the lamp within a span of 29 seconds to even things up and make it a 2-2 game in the blink of an eye.
Soon after, Eetu Luostarinen beat Petr Mrazek with a laser from the slot to put the Panthers on top 3-2. After pulling Mrazek to gain a 6-on-5 advantage, Cole Guttman tied the game for the Blackhawks at 3-3 with less than a minute remaining in regulation to force overtime.
In the extra frame, Sergei Bobrovsky saved the game for the Panthers when he robbed Jason Dickison on point-blank shot from the slot. Not long after that, Brandon Montour beat Mrazek with an incredible no-look backhand shot from in close to cap off the comeback win.
Less than 24 hours later, they'll look to carry that momentum into their matchup with Winnipeg.
"Back-to-backs are fun when you win the first one," said Tkachuk, who dished out three assists against the Blackhawks. "I forget who I heard it from a few years ago, but back-to-back is the quickest way to get four points. Hopefully we can get two [more] tomorrow. We need to."
Setting a record for the most points ever by player in their first season with the Panthers, Tkachuk leads the team and ranks sixth in the NHL with 84 points (28 goals, 56 assists). After him, Carter Verhaeghe sits second on the team in points (56) and first in goals (32).
Carrying one of the hottest sticks on the team, Luostarinen, who's already set new career-highs in goals (16), assists (20) and points (36), has scored three goals in his last five contests.
"I think we're doing a better job every night," Luostarinen said. "We just have to keep working."
After missing the game against Chicago with an illness, Anthony Duclair, who's tallied three points in five games since making his season debut, could return to the lineup against the Jets, but a final answer on his status won't be known until coach Paul Maurice's pre-game media availability.
That being said, Maurice, who should speak around 4:45 p.m. ET, did announce following the win over the Blackhawks that Bobrovsky is expected to get the nod in net against Winnipeg.
Fresh of moving into third place on the franchise's all-time wins list with his 102nd career victory as a Panther, Bobrovsky has started each of the last nine games. Dating back to Jan. 6, the 34-year-old veteran has posted an 13-5-1 record with a .922 save percentage in 20 appearances.
"He's an old-schooler," said Maurice, who noted Florida has four days off after the game. "There was a time when you'd always play your No. 1 on back-to-back because they'd all tell you they felt better."
Holding the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference with a record of 36-26-3, the Jets have lost nine of their last 11 games, including a 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday.
Logan Stanley and Nino Niederreiter each scored against the Wild, but that was all the offense that Winnipeg could muster as Marc-Andre Fleury turned aside 46 of 48 shots in the blue paint.
Over their last 11 games, the Jets have scored more than two goals just four times.
"Some nights you just don't get any puck luck and right now we're not getting any luck," Winnipeg head coach Rick Bowness told reporters after the loss to Minnesota. "But I'll take that effort and the way we played against anybody all year."
Kyle Connor leads the Jets in assists (43) and points (70), while Mark Scheifele has scored the most goals (36). In contention for the Norris Trophy, Josh Morrissey has chipped in 67 points (15 goals, 52 assists) from the blue line, which ranks second among NHL D-men in 2022-23.
Connor Hellebuyck has earned the bulk of the starts for Winnipeg, going 27-20-2 with a .918 save percentage. Backing him up, David Rittich sits at 9-6-1 behind a .906 save percentage.
Facing off for the second time this season, the Jets beat the Panthers 5-2 at home on Dec. 6. Overall, Florida has picked up wins in two of its last three meetings against Winnipeg.
"Another team that needs wins and wants to keep their playoff hopes alive," Montour said. "Every game's important, especially these last 16 games. No matter who we play, every game's important and we need these two [points] tomorrow."
