The Carolina Hurricanes secured a 4-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre, with captain Jordan Staal scoring twice to help his team return to the win column. The victory extends Carolina’s point streak to five games, bringing their record over that span to 3-0-2.
Carolina opened the scoring just 16 seconds into the game when Staal put a shot past Winnipeg goaltender Eric Comrie. The Jets responded with two goals in the first period, giving them a one-goal lead heading into intermission.
In the second period, Staal scored again by deflecting Jalen Chatfield’s shot-pass, tying the game. This marked Chatfield’s return after missing seven games due to injury; he logged over 21 minutes of ice time and recorded an assist. Seth Jarvis then gave Carolina its second lead of the night with a shorthanded goal, capitalizing on a play initiated by Sebastian Aho.
Early in the third period, Andrei Svechnikov extended Carolina’s lead to two goals after receiving a pass from former Jet Nikolaj Ehlers during a power play. Winnipeg narrowed the margin shortly after but could not equalize as Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi made several key saves down the stretch, finishing with 24 stops on 27 shots for his fifth career win in six starts.
Staal’s opening goal matched the third-fastest road goal in franchise history since relocation and marked him as only the second player in franchise history to score within 20 seconds of multiple games in one season. Ehlers’ assist was his eighth point in nine games, tying him with Aho for most points among Hurricanes players since October 20. Jarvis became just the fifth player in franchise history to reach ten career shorthanded goals.
Aho led all scorers with two assists for his fifth multi-point performance this season and now has a team-high 21 points through 21 games. Defenseman K’Andre Miller also contributed two assists for his fourth multi-point outing as a Hurricane.
Following their latest result, Carolina is now the first Eastern Conference team to reach 30 points this season and has tied its third-best mark for wins through 21 games in franchise history.
Reflecting on his team’s performance, head coach Rod Brind’Amour said: “I liked the game. I thought we were good all night. Obviously, we had a couple of gaffes – one was a bad line change, one was kind of a weird turnover that ends up in your net – but other than that, I thought we were pretty solid all night. We had a couple of big plays, Jordo keeps leading the way. That line, especially, (was great). Overall, I thought it was a great effort from all 20 guys.”
Jordan Staal commented: “Everyone chipped in in all the aspects. Power play with a massive goal, PK was great, Bussi played good, D-core was solid, and we had goals throughout the lineup. It was a full team effort, and we need everyone if we want to win against teams like that. I thought everyone played really well.”
Brind’Amour added about Staal’s impact: “With him, he could score every night. If you watch him, he gets opportunities every night like that. You know how it goes; sometimes they go in, sometimes they don’t. But he’s always around it…he was obviously our best player tonight.”
Andrei Svechnikov praised Ehlers’ passing ability: “(He’s) one of the best passers in the league. You’ve just always kind of got to expect it and get open. He’s always going to find you.”
Goaltender Brandon Bussi spoke about staying focused after allowing two early goals: “Just move on to the next shot…I felt good…and it felt good to help out in whatever way I could.”
Brind’Amour noted Bussi’s late-game contributions: “You’re going to need some saves…that’s when you need a goalie to make a difference and he did.”
Looking ahead as they prepare for their final road trip stop before returning home later next week against New York Rangers at PNC Arena (Wednesday at 7 p.m.), Staal said: “It’s about being professional…and showing up ready to work…”
The Hurricanes will practice Saturday before facing Buffalo Sabres on Sunday afternoon.
