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

Another long road trip for the Carolina Hurricanes began in Winnipeg on Monday night. Riding a four-game point streak, the Canes have shown encouraging signs over the last week since being blown out by Tampa Bay. The Jets are a lethal team that can beat you in many different ways. With the exciting news of former Hurricane Nino Niederreiter getting a contract extension today, I was expecting him to come out and torch his old team. Instead, one line did all the damage, and a goalie stole the show. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

WPG (16:58)- Kyle Connor (15) (assisted by Nikolaj Ehlers (7) & Mark Scheifele (18))

2nd Period

WPG (11:39)- Nikolaj Ehlers (7) (assisted by Mark Scheifele (19) & Kyle Connor (11))

CAR (19:09)- Martin Necas (7) (assisted by Stefan Noesen (8) & Jalen Chatfield (5))

3rd Period

None

My Thoughts

I rely on MoneyPuck.com a lot when it comes to seeing what the goalie matchups are going to be on any given night. When I read that Laurent Brossoit would be starting instead of Connor Hellebucyk, I texted my brother. Our longstanding joke is that a backup goalie will almost always have the most ridiculous statline against the Hurricanes. Sometimes, the best jokes are those rooted in some amount of truth. He predicted a 75-save shutout. While it wasn't that many, it's safe to say Brossoit was on his A-game tonight. The Canes threw 43 shots at him and managed one goal. Did we expect anything less to begin the road trip? I know I didn't. I wanted to be wrong. I don't know everything, but this felt inevitable. 

I wouldn't correct you if you were to assume that Winnipeg only had four players because that's how it felt tonight. One line did all of the damage against the Canes. It was the one line you didn't want to get hot, consisting of Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, and Nikolaj Ehlers. The two wingers recorded the goals and assisted on each other's goals, while Scheifele added two assists to facilitate the scoring. Half of Winnipeg's shots came from that line. Laurent Brossoit, the fourth member of tonight's quartet, played an outstanding game. The one goal he allowed to Martin Necas went in off his defender, so there wasn't much he could do about it. Otherwise, he stoned the Canes for 60 minutes. 

This story was one that has been written and re-published numerous times. The Hurricanes were the dominant team in the first period. They didn't allow a shot until Ehlers got one on Antti Raanta with 3:29 left. Then, the next shot from Connor goes into the net. They finished the period with 15 shots and zero goals. The Jets had three shots and one goal. It was giving very ominous Tampa vibes. The differences were that Antti Raanta didn't allow this game to get out of hand, and the Canes stayed out of the box. The Hurricanes took one penalty late in the first period, and that was it. 

Speaking of Raanta, this was a good sign. He hadn't played since the Tampa game and had been fighting an illness, keeping him out of what I thought was a surefire start against Buffalo on Saturday. When he didn't get much work in the first period, I started to get worried. I was even more worried after he allowed the first goal. Instead, he settled into the game in the second period, and despite allowing a second goal, he was able to move on. His performance was strong. Yes, he took the loss, but it wasn't because of his night in the net. He made some plays late in the game, denying a Connor breakaway and flying for a diving poke check before heading off for the extra attacker. 

The vibes postgame from the Caniacs haven't been one of optimism. Part of that will be knee-jerk reactions to the Canes being goalied again. Some are talking about the "played a good game, but didn't score" comments that were destined to circulate after this performance. A few are fed up with the mindset, demanding changes to ensure this doesn't happen again. The reality is that there is no guaranteed way to prevent this from happening. Every now and then, a goalie is going to stand on his head, regardless of whether they're a starter or a backup. Every team deals with the same issues. The world isn't going to come to an end every time something like this happens. Maybe it's my boundless optimism when it comes to supporting my teams. It could also be blind faith. It's going to be alright.

My Three Stars of the Game

3rd Star- Antti Raanta- 20 saves

Considering what happened the last time he was in the net, I would've been happy with any performance in which he stopped more shots than goals he allowed. Tonight, Raanta was very good. It wasn't enough to win the game, but it was lightyears better than his last start. That should be celebrated a little. 

2nd Star- Brent Burns- 3 shots, 1 crossbar

Despite nothing to show for it on the scoresheet, Burns' fingerprints were all over this game. The complexion of this game could've changed drastically if his shot off the crossbar was a few centimeters lower. He had a few chances late in the game to tie it, but nothing came of it. 

1st Star- Martin Necas- 1 goal

He hadn't scored since the win over Edmonton, and his play hadn't been consistent of late, but that changed in the win over Buffalo. Tonight, he found the back of the net to extend his point streak to three games. He has found a home on the fourth line with Noesen and Drury, turning them into a major threat. 

Up Next- Late-night hockey is about to make a return as the Hurricanes travel to Alberta for a back-to-back. They'll be on TNT on Wednesday night as they finish their season series with the Edmonton Oilers. 24 hours later, they'll be back at it against the Calgary Flames. They'll finish the western portion with a late battle in Vancouver before traveling to Ottawa to finish up in Canada.