2023-24 Regular Season, Game 24: Hurricanes at Winnipeg Jets (Pregame)

After playing seven of their last eight games at home, the Carolina Hurricanes are back on the road for another long road trip. The Canes finished that stretch 4-2-1, earning an emphatic victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night. Pyotr Kochetkov earned his fourth straight start, looking to rebound from a rough performance against the Islanders a few days prior. The scoring didn't start until late in the first period, but the floodgates would open once they did. Sebastian Aho broke through Eric Comrie in the final five minutes on a wicked snipe over the glove. Jack Drury scored his second in as many games 70 seconds later. Martin Necas sped into the zone and fed Drury, who was initially denied before putting the rebound home. The scoring continued early in the second period. Aho notched his second of the night on the power play, burying a shot from the bumper position in the slot to make it 3-0. The penalty kill took center stage in the second. After Andrei Svechnikov was sent to the box, Aho had his stick lifted into the face of JJ Peterka by Rasmus Dahlin and drew blood. The officials would review it and uphold the call despite the overwhelming evidence to overturn it. The kill wouldn't waver, getting the job done to keep the Sabres out of the net. Stefan Noesen would add to the lead, finishing a brilliant pass from Necas. Teuvo Teravainen would bury the Canes' second goal on the power play late in the period, sending the Canes into the third period up 5-0. Casey Mittelstadt would ruin the shutout, but Brady Skjei got the goal back with the Canes on the penalty kill. Tyson Jost would shrink the lead back to four goals, but that's as close as Buffalo got as Kochetkov and the Canes rebounded for a 6-2 win to begin December. 

The Opponent: Winnipeg Jets (13-8-2, 28 Points- 3rd in the Central Division)

It was an interesting offseason for the Winnipeg Jets after losing to the Golden Knights in the 1st Round of the playoffs. They had a lot of tough decisions that needed to be made. Their front office was busy. Winnipeg's first big move was trading Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Kings for a solid return. They also took two names off the trade board, signing Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck to seven-year extensions despite rumors running rampant that they'd be gone. Outside of that, they spent most of the offseason keeping their team together. So far, it has worked out well for them. It was a slower start for Winnipeg, going 4-4-2 out of the gate. They turned it around by winning eight of their next nine to shoot near the top of the Central Division while scoring over four goals per game. They've slowed down a little over the last week, losing three of their last four, but their last game was a 3-1 win over the Blackhawks on Saturday. Their stars are producing, with Scheifele, Kyle Connor, and Josh Morrissey over 20 points already. Cole Perfetti is having a breakout season, already eclipsing his career-high in goals with nine in 23 games. Hellebuyck is turning in consistent performances on a nightly basis, allowing less than 2.5 goals per game. They are situating themselves at the top of a tough division. 

Last Season's Meetings- The Canes and Jet split their two meetings, with the home team winning each game. They met for the first time in Winnipeg a little before Thanksgiving. The Jets went into the third period with a 3-0 lead on goals by Pierre-Luc Dubois, Mikey Eyssimont, and Josh Morrissey. David Rittich was shutting the Canes out, but the final five minutes gave way to an incredible comeback. Jaccob Slavin, Andrei Svechnikov, and Martin Necas secured a point for the Canes on the road. Unfortunately, Morrissey was sprung on a breakaway in overtime, scoring the winner against Pyotr Kochetkov to spoil the comeback. The meeting in Raleigh didn't take place until March. This time, it was the Canes who controlled the game through two periods, getting goals from Slavin, Brady Skjei, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. The Jets refused to go away. Nikolaj Ehlers scored early in the period to cut the Canes' lead to one goal, but Jack Drury netted his first of the season to restore it. Former Hurricane Nino Niederreiter gave the Jets some late life, but Kotkaniemi's second of the game found the empty net to ice a 5-3 win for the Canes. 

Stories of the Night

1. Finding a Groove on the Road

The Canes are beginning their second six-game road trip of the season. Their first long trip came at the beginning of the year, and they went 2-4-0, allowing five or more goals four times. To their credit, they've turned it around, winning four of their last six road games since. The trip at the beginning of the season was a great learning experience for the teams and fans alike. Since then, the Canes have started to show signs of the contender we expected them to be. Tonight could set the tone for the rest of the trip. I'm not even saying the Canes have to win this game. I think they need to take the positives from their recent success at home and find a way to transfer that into success in some tough buildings against tough opponents. That's way easier said than done, but the Canes can do it. The best teams in the league showcase an ability to win anywhere at any time. The Canes have a chance to establish that in Winnipeg. 

2. Jarvis Heads Home

Born in Winnipeg, Seth Jarvis is set to play his third game in his hometown. He's recorded a point in all four career meetings against the Jets. After staying quiet for most of November, Jarvis' game is starting to pick back up. He has four points in his last four games, including an assist on Saturday night, and nine points in his last seven. He's also second on the team in goals (9) and points (19), behind Teuvo Teravainen and Sebastian Aho, respectively. I'm sure it will be mentioned a few times during the broadcast tonight, so Jarvis will be a player to watch.  

3. Kyle Connor, The Most Underappreciated Sniper in the League?

Terms like "overrated" and "underrated" get thrown around quite a bit. Underappreciated might be a more suitable term. Kyle Connor is one of those players. I've never felt like he gets much credit from the hockey community at large for how good he is at scoring the puck. He's scored at least 30 goals five times, including a career-high 47 two seasons ago. He's well on his way to reaching 30 again this season, leading the Jets with 14 goals through 23 games. Without being able to dictate the matchup on the road, I'm interested in seeing how Rod Brind'Amour counters Connor's attack.