The Carolina Hurricanes are taking a six-game heater north to Winnipeg as they open a five-game road trip, and they’re doing it with a perfect road record intact.
Carolina has won six straight since dropping its first two games of the season, and the group is 4-0-0 away from home. It has also had a few days to sit on its latest result after beating the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night in the NHL’s Frozen Frenzy.
That one took some pushing back, with the Hurricanes erasing a pair of one-goal deficits before Andrei Svechnikov finished the job. He scored the go-ahead goal - his second of the night - on the power play late in the third period, finishing with three points in a 4-2 win.
Pyotr Kochetkov made 20 saves in the victory.
The matchup with Winnipeg brings back some recent history, too. The teams met twice last November, exactly a week apart.
In the first game, in Winnipeg, former Jet Nikolaj Ehlers was facing his old team for the first time and set up Svechnikov for the third-period winner in a 4-3 Carolina victory. A week later in Raleigh, Seth Jarvis - a Winnipeg native - scored a hat trick in a 5-1 win as the Hurricanes completed the season sweep.
Winnipeg’s own early-season story has been dominated by Connor Hellebuyck, and that noise isn’t going away anytime soon. The Jets are currently operating without him, but their start has still been solid enough at 4-1-2. They nearly stole a game from the Blackhawks on Thursday, rallying from a 3-1 hole to force overtime before losing 4-3.
The goaltending picture is different now, with Stuart Skinner and Clay Stevenson forming the new tandem in Hellebuyck’s absence. Friday’s practice pointed toward Stevenson getting the nod tonight.
Offensively, the Jets have leaned hard on a couple of finishers. Kyle Connor and Cole Perfetti have scored 13 of Winnipeg’s 21 goals between them, with Connor putting up eight and Perfetti adding five. Alex Iofallo is the only other player with more than one goal.
Carolina is also dealing with some key absences. Jordan Staal is out for at least a month with a lower-body injury, and Taylor Hall is expected to miss a few weeks because of an upper-body injury. Seth Jarvis has joined the team on the road trip and could be back soon, but he won’t play tonight because he still hasn’t been cleared.
Winnipeg has its own injury issues. Josh Morrissey has been sidelined with an upper-body injury since October 7, and his status changed from day-to-day to week-to-week on Thursday. Vladislav Namestnikov is also week-to-week after getting hurt at practice earlier this week.
Kyle Connor is the obvious name to track on the Winnipeg side. He’s second in the league with eight goals, tied for the league lead with four power-play goals, and he comes in with a four-game goal streak. He also leads the Jets with 11 points.
Neal Pionk will be asked to carry more of the load on defense with Morrissey out. He’s fourth on the team with six points, five of them coming in the last two games, and he’s taking on the top power-play role while logging nearly 24 minutes a night.
For Carolina, Bradly Nadeau is set for his first game with the club this season and should get a look on the second line along with second-unit power-play time. He scored three goals with the team last season, and this trip gives him a bigger stage.
Shayne Gostisbehere has also started strong, even if the point total doesn’t jump off the page. He has two goals, both game-winners, and three assists, with four of his five points coming on the power play. He has worked well with Mike Reilly, and tonight gives him another chance to keep that role rolling.
In Other News...
Hurricanes Perfect Road Start Faces Its Biggest Test Yet
Carolinas perfect road start will be put to work on a five-game swing through Western Canada and St. Louis, and the early test now looks a lot less like a soft landing than a measuring stick. The Hurricanes have been sharp away from home to open the season, but this trip folds in a little of everything, from a back-to-back to the kind of atmosphere that can expose any slow start or sloppy shift.
Winnipeg opens the schedule with an extra layer of intrigue because of its unsettled crease, while the stop in Vancouver brings a rematch with a familiar opponent. Carolina handled the Canucks convincingly in Raleigh earlier this season, and the rematch should tell a little more about whether the Hurricanes road edge is simply a strong opening stretch or something they can keep carrying into a tougher part of the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Suddenly Have A Forward Problem At The Worst Time
The Hurricanes forward group got a jolt this week when Rod BrindAmour said Taylor Hall is now considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Hall left Tuesdays win over Washington in the first period, and his absence adds another layer of uncertainty to a Carolina attack that has already been juggling availability and recovery issues early in the season.
There is at least one encouraging sign on the horizon, though, as Seth Jarvis is traveling with the team and continues to edge closer to a return from June shoulder surgery. He recently shed his non-contact jersey in practice, a meaningful step for a player the Hurricanes are hoping to get back by late October or early November, even if the exact timing still remains a little murky. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes' Hot Start Just Ran Into A Tough New Test
Carolinas blistering start has already pushed the Hurricanes through some early adversity, and the next stretch arrives with more of it. Even after opening the year with six straight wins and sitting at 6-1-1, Rod BrindAmours team is still juggling the kind of lineup uncertainty that can test a deep roster, especially with key forwards already unavailable.
BrindAmour said Taylor Hall is dealing with an upper-body injury, while Seth Jarvis, who has been working back from offseason shoulder surgery, is nearing a return. Jarvis is expected to travel with the team on the upcoming road trip, and his presence alone gives the Hurricanes a possible lift as they head into a five-game swing and try to keep the momentum rolling. [Read more 🡒]