A group of Winnipeg Jets fans cheer on their team during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Tampa Bay Lightning Saturday, March 14, 2015, in Tampa, Fla.Mike Carlson/The Associated Press
Drew Stafford and Blake Wheeler scored third-period goals as the Winnipeg Jets rallied to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 on Saturday night.
Ondrej Pavelec made 15 saves for the Jets, who are in the mix for a Western Conference wild-card spot.
Nikita Kucherov scored for the Lighting, who dropped two points behind Atlantic Division-leading Montreal. Tampa Bay hosts the Canadiens Monday night.
Wheeler put the Jets up 2-1 with 7:16 to play after stealing the puck in the Tampa Bay zone, making a nice stick-handling move on Anton Stralman and beating Andrei Vasilevskiy from the right circle.
Stafford had tied it at 1 at the 10-minute mark after Kucherov had been given a 5-minute boarding penalty and a game misconduct after sending Toby Enstrom hard into the end boards at 8:01.
Enstrom skated off the ice holding a towel to the side of his face.
Kucherov opened the scoring 4:13 into the third with a shot from the top of right circle.
Vasilevskiy made a nice save early in the first on Andrew Ladd. Pavelec stopped Tyler Johnson's left circle shot during a power play in the final minute of the period.
Winnipeg's Jim Slater had his point blank shot turned aside, while Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman was denied on an in-close backhander during the second.
Jets centre Mark Scheifele was out briefly in the second after an open ice hit 3 minutes into the period by Stralman, who was given a tripping penalty.
Winnipeg's Michael Frolik had his eight-game point streak (five goals, eight points) end.
NOTES: Tampa Bay D Matt Carle returned after missing 22 games with an abdominal injury and had an assist. ... Winnipeg D Tyler Myers, who left Thursday's game at Florida with an upper body injury, didn't play. ... The Jets were also without C Bryan Little and D Dustin Byfuglien, who both sat out their fourth straight game with upper body injuries. ... Winnipeg RW Matt Halischuk played after being sidelined 18 games with a foot injury, while D Paul Postma was in the lineup for the first time since Jan. 8.