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Panthers battle Jets in Winnipeg

Mar 1, 2012 - 4:12 PM (Sports Network) - The Florida Panthers will try to help their quest for the Southeast Division title with a fourth straight victory, as they visit the Winnipeg Jets for tonight's showdown at MTS Centre.

The Panthers have tied a season-high with three straight wins and enter today leading Washington by three points for the division lead. The Jets are one point behind the Capitals in third place.

Florida hasn't won four consecutive games since March 2-16, 2008. The Panthers also last qualified for the postseason in the spring of 2000.

The Panthers posted their most recent victory Tuesday in Toronto, as Mike Santorelli netted a pair of goals in Florida's 5-3 win at Air Canada Centre. That was also the third straight road victory for the Panthers, who are 15-12-4 as the guest this season.

Marcel Goc, Jason Garrison and Stephen Weiss also tallied on Tuesday for Florida, while Jose Theodore stopped 28-of-31 shots in the win.

Florida leading scorer Kris Versteeg missed Tuesday's game with a lower-body injury and is expected to sit out tonight's game as well. Versteeg, who is first on the Panthers in goals (22) and points (49), was expected to miss at least a week with the injury he suffered Sunday in Montreal.

Panthers forward Tomas Kopecky is expected to return from a lower-body injury tonight after sitting out against the Leafs.

The Jets are coming off their first regulation loss of an eight-game homestand. Winnipeg began the residency with three straight wins and took a 4-0-2 record into Monday's game against Edmonton, but the Oilers notched a 5-3 win at the MTS Centre, where the Jets are 19-10-4 this season.

Lennart Petrell and Taylor Hall each posted a goal and an assist to lead the Oilers to the road win. Alexander Burmistrov and Nik Antropov notched a goal and an assist apiece for the Jets, while Ondrej Pavelec gave up all five goals on 25 shots in defeat.

"We look like a tired team," said Winnipeg head coach Claude Noel. "We look like an emotionally drained team. And we looked like it from start to end."

While the Jets are still very much in the race for the Southeast Division crown, they are also just one point behind Washington for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East.

Winnipeg defenseman Zach Bogosian is expected to return tonight after sitting out the last seven games with an upper-body issue. With 21 points, Bogosian is tied with Tobias Enstrom for second among Jets blueliners this season.

The Jets will play the eighth and final tilt on their residency when they host Buffalo on Monday.

Florida has taken the last three meetings with the Jets after losing the series opener between the clubs on Oct. 31. The teams will meet one final time during the regular season when the Panthers host Winnipeg on April 3.