Jets win third straight in shootout, edge Flyers

WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- Even a rock-solid run won't change Ondrej Pavelec's outlook on NHL shootouts.

"Still hate them," the animated Winnipeg Jets goaltender said Friday night, not long after backstopping the Jets to a 3-2 shootout win over the Philadelphia Flyers at sold-out MTS Centre.

"We found a way to win, and I think we deserved it," he said.

Pavelec stopped four of five shooters, including defenseman Kimmo Timonen -- the last skater to come down on him -- to preserve the Jets' third straight win by way of the shootout.

Winnipeg center Bryan Little fired the winner in the shootout, beating Flyers' netminder Steve Mason to the blocker side.

The victory was Winnipeg's fourth in a row and raised the team's record to 10-9-2.

The Flyers (7-10-2) were participating in their first shootout of the season.

Defenseman Dustin Byfuglien was the only Jet to beat Mason during regulation time and overtime, scoring power-play goals in the first and third periods.

Byfuglien's goal just 5:36 into the opening period was the first power-play goal for the Jets in 10 home games and only their second goal on their last 49 chances with the man advantage.

His blast from the point at 14:23 of the third period tied the score at 2.

Left winger Scott Hartnell and right winger Wayne Simmonds scored in the first period for the Flyers.

Pavelec stopped 32 shots, including eight in overtime, and Mason was equally sharp with a 36-save effort.

"We played a good, solid game. We played a great third period," said Pavelec, whose club outshot the visitors 13-4 in the final frame. "We were down a goal but we were patient, and the power-play helped us get a win.

"It's a little bit early right now, but at the end of the season we'll be able to see how big (the extra points from the shootout) really are."

Jets' right winger Devin Setoguchi and Flyers' center Claude Giroux traded goals in the shootout.

Byfuglien went the first 18 games without a goal this season, but now has three over the Jets' last three contests.

"We created traffic and we just kept shooting, and it got there," he said. "We got our two points and we can be happy with it."

After pumping home the tying goal, the Minneapolis native glided back to center ice and busted a few moves for the raucous crowd.

"I'm not sure what that was -- a jig?" said Winnipeg coach Claude Noel. "Buff is Buff. He enjoys playing the game. He plays with passion and it brings levity to the team. There's a place for that and everyone understands that. It's good now when you have some confidence going."

The Flyers are now 7-7-2 under coach Craig Berube, who replaced Peter Laviolette after the club started the 2013-14 season with three straight losses.

Berube wasn't particularly impressed with his club's effort in the final period.

"We need to push more. We had the lead in the third but we needed to push more," he said. "Whether we sat back or whether we're tired, I don't know. I just know we had to be more aggressive.

"You have to go and force the issue. You have to attack the other team. You can't sit back like that."

The Flyers have the weekend off and then play three straight games at home, beginning with the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.

The Jets take a quick flight to Minneapolis on Sunday for a game against the Wild and then return home to face the Calgary Flames on Monday.

NOTES: Winnipeg D Zach Bogosian left the game near the end of the second period with a lower-body injury. ... Philadelphia C Brayden Schenn scored on each of his last three shots on goal coming into the game. The first came Tuesday in the Flyers' 5-0 victory over the Ottawa Senators and the next two were scored Wednesday in a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. ... Though the Jets did score in the first and third periods on Friday night with the man-advantage, they entered with the worst power play in the NHL, scoring just six goals on 71 tries for 8.4 percent. The club finished last in the 2012-13 season as well. ... Flyers C Vincent Lecavalier began the night six assists short of 500 for his career and needed just 16 points for 900. ... Winnipeg LW Andrew Ladd has developed a flare for the dramatic, scoring the shootout-clinching goal in the previous two games. The Jets captain is perfect on five attempts this year and has gone 7 of 7 dating to his final two attempts last season. ... G Ondrej Pavelec had four of his seven wins in shootouts for Winnipeg entering Friday's action. He has faced more shootout attempts (22) than any other NHL goalie.