A hat trick by Seth Jarvis and a strong third period led the Carolina Hurricanes to a 5-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets at Lenovo Center on Friday. Jarvis scored three goals, marking his second career hat trick and helping him reach 20 points in just 24 games this season.
The Hurricanes opened the scoring late in the first period when Jarvis finished off a pass from Shayne Gostisbehere. Winnipeg responded midway through the game with a goal from Mark Scheifele after a turnover. The teams remained tied until the third period, when Carolina took control.
Jordan Martinook broke the deadlock with a shot from the high slot at 11:52 of the third period. Less than a minute later, Jarvis added another goal. He completed his hat trick with an empty-netter in the final minutes, and Alexander Nikishin scored shortly after to cap off the win.
Goaltender Brandon Bussi made 12 saves for Carolina, including several key stops during critical moments of the game. Bussi became the first goaltender in franchise history to record six wins in his first seven starts with the club.
Jarvis is now tied for second-most goals in the NHL over his last four games and leads Carolina with 15 goals this season. He joins Eric Staal as only the second player since relocation to reach 15 goals within 24 games or fewer for Carolina.
Shayne Gostisbehere had multiple points for a second straight game and has registered points in seven of nine outings since returning from injury on November 11. Andrei Svechnikov also contributed two assists, marking his first multi-assist game since February.
Justin Robidas recorded his first point of the season with an assist on Nikishin’s goal; he has now logged points in three out of four career NHL games.
Afterward, players and coaches commented on their performance. Jordan Martinook said, “I think we were just sticking with it. We got away from what we were doing good in the first and a little bit in the second. We kind of gave them some life. In the third, everybody made a conscious effort to get back to what was making us successful. That third period was just good, typical Canes hockey, which usually results in good things.”
Martinook also spoke about Jarvis’ achievement: “That’s cool, a hat trick against your hometown team. He’s been a stud all year, and that – I know I’m using big words – personifies it… It’s no surprise. We’ve seen it for years. He’s a gifted goal-scorer. Whenever he gets a chance around the net, usually good things happen. I’m just super happy for him. He’s an incredible guy, great teammate, and great guy to be around, and he leads us usually every night.”
Head coach Rod Brind’Amour addressed Jarvis’ recent scoring surge: “I think it’s him understanding to not always look off. He’s the scorer on that line for me. Svech is too, but if you get that opportunity, (Jarvis) has a great shot, as we know. Sometimes, you have to be a little more selfish with the puck when guys are around the net, and I think that’s kind of what his outlook is right now.”
Brind’Amour reflected on breaking through offensively: “It alleviates a lot of stress, right? Because we’d been playing well. We had one bad game in Buffalo. I didn’t love it, but the rest of it was good hockey, right? Again, we hit a few posts, so it’s easy to be discouraged when it’s not working. These guys, they stick with it, and we got rewarded tonight.”
On Bussi’s performance as goaltender: “It’s not easy not knowing when your next start is. Since he’s arrived on the scene, that’s what it’s been. (He’s had) nothing but a great attitude, and at the end of the day, every start he’s been solid… Tonight…when we needed a save (his third-period save on Kyle Connor) is play of game…”
Bussi himself said about reaching six wins quickly: “It’s hard to win in this league… There’s a lot of great talent out there…6-1 is more reflection of team than one individual but overall I’m pretty pumped.”
Carolina will practice Saturday before hosting Calgary Flames Sunday at Lenovo Center.
