The Winnipeg Jets had a chance to salvage a point late, but the Hurricanes shut the door and left with a 3-2 win after former Jet Nikolaj Ehlers delivered the game-winner.
Winnipeg needed an answer in the closing moments and never found it, as the defending Stanley Cup champion Hurricanes completed the comeback.
The afternoon also carried a charitable note before puck drop, with the game supporting the Toba Centre through the organization’s pups. The Winnipeg crowd gave that enough of a reaction to make the moment stand out, with plenty of cheers and laughs around the arena.
What followed was a game that stayed quiet early before opening up in the second period. Mark Scheifele got the Jets on the board first, with a little help from Ehlers. That goal moved Scheifele to within five of Dale Hawerchuk on the all-time goals list in Winnipeg NHL history.
Carolina answered, though Winnipeg quickly reclaimed the lead when Alex Iafallo scored in the middle frame for his third goal of the season. Adam Lowry picked up the assist on the play.
The Hurricanes kept hanging around, and late in the second period they pulled level again. The source noted the assist on the Koktaniemi goal should go to either Jets defenseman who vacated the front of the net.
From there, Winnipeg handed Carolina a chance on the power play after a bad penalty by Dylan DeMelo, and Ehlers made the most of it. The former Jet beat his old club for the first time in his career, scoring his first-ever goal against Winnipeg and putting the Hurricanes ahead for good at 3-2.
That finish also meant Ehlers has now scored against every NHL team.
In Other News...
Rangers Could Trigger The Goalie Domino That Reshapes This Market
Connor Hellebuycks situation has become one of the more closely watched threads in the goalie market, and the Winnipeg Jets may not be the only club waiting on a resolution. Elliotte Friedman reported that the New York Rangers could wind up shaping the market even without any interest in Hellebuyck themselves, as their next move in goal might help set everything else in motion. With Hellebuycks suspension nearing its end and Winnipeg believed to be looking to move him, the timing now feels tied to what develops elsewhere first.
The Rangers are being connected to separate goalie possibilities involving Buffalo, Carolina and Los Angeles, and those discussions could create the opening another team needs before a Hellebuyck deal can be completed. For the Jets, that means the path forward may depend less on their own urgency than on a chain reaction they cannot control. It is the kind of market wrinkle that can keep a prominent player in limbo a little longer, even when the general direction of the story already seems clear. [Read more 🡒]
Cole Perfetti Is Giving The Jets One Early Reason For Confidence
Cole Perfetti is giving the Jets a timely reminder of why they locked him in long term this summer. After Winnipeg signed the young forward to a five-year extension in July, he has opened the season with the kind of early pace that gives a team confidence in both its present and its future, piling up offense while looking more and more comfortable as a top-six piece.
Perfettis start has been especially encouraging because it has come right as the Jets are trying to establish an early-season rhythm around their younger core. The production has been steady and noticeable through eight games, and if this level of play keeps up, Winnipegs bet on him is going to look better and better long before the season reaches its midpoint. [Read more 🡒]
Jets May Soon Face Their Biggest Hellebuyck Problem Yet
Connor Hellebuycks future in Winnipeg still hangs over the Jets, even as the team tries to keep its attention on the ice. Captain Adam Lowry acknowledged there will need to be conversations if the goaltender comes back into the fold, a sign that this is no ordinary roster matter. Hellebuyck was suspended without pay after requesting a trade and not reporting to training camp, and Winnipeg has continued to move forward while other goaltenders have performed well.
Scott Arniel sidestepped the subject when asked about Hellebuycks return, choosing instead to talk about the games ahead. Behind the scenes, though, the Jets are still working the phones and trying to find a trade partner as the suspension nears a possible end next Friday. If the situation does circle back to the dressing room, it will require more than a roster decision to smooth over what has already become a complicated break. [Read more 🡒]