2025-26 Regular Season, Game 21 Preview: Carolina Hurricanes at Winnipeg Jets

Last Game: The Carolina Hurricanes earned a point in Minnesota, but they definitely left the second one on the table. The Wild got off to a hot start on a tough bounce. Mats Zuccarello let one go that was heading well wide of the net. However, the puck hit Brock Faber's skate and slipped through Frederik Andersen's pads to open the scoring. Minnesota added another while short-handed. Sebastian Aho's pass was intercepted by Matt Boldy, giving him plenty of time to skate the other way and bury a breakaway goal to double the lead. The Canes finally found an answer for Jesper Wallstedt to break his 175:12 shutout streak. Jackson Blake redirected a shot after an incredibly hard-working shift to get the Canes on the board late in the second. His work was wiped away when Zuccarello scored for real, taking advantage of a collision in the Canes' offensive zone to score another breakaway goal. The Canes fought to get back into it. Aho brought the group within one by finishing a beautiful transition chance, with all three forwards on the top line finding the scoresheet. With 1:06 left, Blake added another. His shot snuck through Wallstedt's pads and over the line to knot the game. Nothing was resolved in overtime, despite two excellent chances for Blake to finish his hat trick, and Boldy scored the only goal in the shootout to help Minnesota claim the second point in a 4-3 victory. Wallstedt made 42 saves to steal the win for the Wild.

Injury Report

Jalen Chatfield: With Fensore being sent back to Chicago after Wednesday's game, it would indicate that he'll be good to go for tonight's contest, though we'll wait for official word from the boss.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi: Still unclear whether he's on the trip or not, so I'm not going to hold my breath that we'll see him before Wednesday's game in Raleigh against the Rangers.

Jaccob Slavin: I'm not convinced he's ever going to play again with how little we know about the true nature of his injury, but I'm sure I'm just overexaggerating things.

The Opponent: Winnipeg Jets (12-7-0, 24 Points; in the Central Division)

Last Season's Meetings: The Hurricanes had no solution for Eric Comrie when they visited Winnipeg in February. The Jets' power play scored in the opening two periods and added another goal in the third in a 3-0 victory. Comrie stopped all 29 shots he faced in the win. The Canes got it back when the Jets visited Raleigh after the trade deadline. Mark Jankowski made a big first impression, scoring in the first and second periods in his team debut. Logan Stankoven added another on the power play in the third period in his team debut as well, combining for three of the team's four goals in a 4-2 victory for the Hurricanes.

Since We Last Met: The Jets soared to the President's Trophy a season ago, but they hit a little turbulence in the postseason. They were nearly knocked out in the first round by the St. Louis Blues, but they scored late in regulation in Game 7 to force overtime before Adam Lowry scored in double overtime to win the series. They ran into the Stars in the second round, losing in six games with a heartbreaking Game 6 overtime loss shortly after Mark Scheifele lost his father. The Jets made some small changes to their personnel during the offseason, but their biggest loss was the Hurricanes' gain in Nikola Ehlers. They're still a juggernaut of a team up top, led by reigning Hart and Vezina winner Connor Hellebuyck in the crease. While he's not off to as sterling a start as a season ago, he's still the best in the world. Mark Scheifele continues to rewrite the Winnipeg/Atlanta history books, becoming the team's most prolific scorer and the top games played man in franchise history this season. His 27 points have him in the Top 10 in scoring this season across the league, while Kyle Connor has enjoyed the massive extension he signed. Both have 11 goals to pace the team. Josh Morrissey, who finished 4th in Norris voting, is off to another great start, with 21 points in 19 games. Their only major problems are their lack of depth scoring and being stuck in a tough division where no one is separating themselves outside of Colorado and Dallas. They should be in a fine spot, especially if they can get their depth guys rolling.

Stories to Watch

1. Ehlers returns to Winnipeg

Honestly, this feels like the only major story that matters for the game. All eyes will be on Ehlers as he takes the ice for the first time as an opponent in Winnipeg. He'll probably get the video package with his highlights and a nice ovation from the home crowd. He'll also have an opportunity to stick it to his old team for not using him properly. While there aren't any bad feelings between Ehlers and the Jets organization, it's always fun to say "I told you so" to your former employer. 

2. Getting back on track and winning the road trip

If the Canes come out of Winnipeg with just one point, they'll ensure no worse than a .500 trip before even setting foot in Buffalo. To do it, they'll need to be way sharper than they've been in just about every game other than the Boston win to start the trip. There have been way too many instances of the Canes giving their opponents goals, especially on breakaway chances, because of errant passes. The Jets have too many weapons for the Canes to keep getting away with these mishaps.