The second visitor of the Carolina Hurricanes' seven-game homestand brings a rematch a week in the making. The Canes opened their stand with a disappointing 4-2 loss to the New York Rangers on Wednesday night. Shayne Gostisbehere scored his second goal in as many games, while he and Sebastian Aho each recorded multi-point nights.
With the team fighting through illness and injury in the locker room, the problems are showing up on the scoreboard. The team has struggled without their captain in the lineup over the last two games. They've also failed to capitalize on many of the great chances they've been given, while all of their mistakes end up in the back of their net.
On the Other Side: Winnipeg Jets
Last meeting: The Hurricanes visited Winnipeg last Friday night, emerging with a 4-3 victory. The Canes crawled out of a 2-1 deficit in the second period, scoring a pair of goals, including a short-handed tally from Winnipeg-born Seth Jarvis. Nikolaj Ehlers had his big moment in the third period, setting up Andrei Svechnikov on the power play in his first game back.
Winnipeg is being forced to adapt on the fly after the team announced shortly before last Friday's contest that Connor Hellebuyck would miss 4-to-6 weeks after an arthroscopic knee procedure. It has thrust Eric Comrie into the starting role, protecting the net in each of their last four games. He made 24 stops in their loss to the Canes.
The Jets have played twice since hosting the Canes. They fell victim to the amazing goalie tandem currently occupying St. Paul, getting shut out by the Wild, 3-0, on Sunday. Then, they began a five-game road trip with a 4-3 loss to the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night. With Raleigh being their second stop, the Jets still have visits to Nashville, Buffalo, and Montreal.
Gabriel Vilardi is heating up for Winnipeg. After scoring twice in the game against the Canes, he added two more on Wednesday against the Capitals, bringing him to 10 goals on the season. He's third on the team in goals and fourth in points. Kyle Connor added three assists against the Capitals, while Mark Scheifele scored his team-leading 12th goal.
Jets to Watch
Mark Scheifele: The most prolific scorer in Jets history has a thing about scoring against the Hurricanes, making him dangerous every time these two meet. Scheifele is enjoying one of the best starts of his career after setting a new career-high in points a season ago. He picked up an assist against the Canes last Friday night.
Kyle Connor: I believe in my heart that Connor is one of the five best shooters in the league, and he can strike from just about anywhere on the ice. The Canes kept him in check the first time around, and you best believe that Staal will be all over this line if he's healthy enough to play tonight after missing the last two games.
Hurricanes to Watch
Jordan Staal: I'm choosing to believe that his participation in the optional practice on Thursday morning is a sign that Staal could return to the lineup tonight. That might be a tad premature, but I'm rolling with it. The captain was excellent in Winnipeg, scoring 16 seconds into the game and adding another in the second period. The team desperately needs him back in the lineup.
Jackson Blake: It has been a few quiet games for Blake since he scored twice and earned the team a point in Minnesota last week. He's been off the scoresheet over the last three games and is a -4. Scoring for his line at 5-on-5 has slowed down a bit, with Ehlers doing most of his damage on the power play. I'm looking for a big game from the entire line, but especially from Blake.