The NC State Fair has arrived in Raleigh, so the Carolina Hurricanes are on the road, beginning their Western Canada road trip against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday afternoon. The team has been blistering hot, entering their trip on a six-game win streak, and they've had a few days off since beating the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, meaning the group should be well-rested.
Without Jordan Staal and Taylor Hall available, Bradly Nadeau and Felix Unger Sorum made their season debuts for the Canes. Nicolas Deslauriers came out of the lineup to make some room. Pyotr Kochetkov made his third straight start, trying to keep his perfect start rolling. Winnipeg sent Clay Stevenson out to defend their crease without top defenseman Josh Morrissey.
The first period didn't see any goals. Frankly, it didn't see much of anything. The Jets had a few more chances than the Canes, aided by a late power play, but neither team found the back of the net. Kochetkov was the busier netminder, and he made some quality stops to keep things scoreless by the end of the opening frame.
Miscues really hurt the Canes in the second period. Miscommunication between Kochetkov, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Jaccob Slavin allowed Mark Scheifele to come up with the puck and roof a shot alone in front of the net to break the seal. Of course, we needed our nightly Mark Jankowski tally. For the sixth game in a row, he popped home a puck, scoring on the power play to tie it up.
Winnipeg's second goal was another bad puck-handling moment. This time, it was Kochetkov. Adam Lowry's pressure forced him to mishandle it. He stopped Lowry's shot, but the net was wide open for Alex Iafallo to restore Winnipeg's lead. Late in the frame, Jesperi Kotkaniemi made his stick available to redirect Shayne Gostisbehere's shot, sending the teams into the third tied at two.
Naturally, Ehlers took center stage in the third period, helping the Canes convert on their second power play. Excellent puck retrieval from the top unit allowed Ehlers time and space to hammer a shot past Stevenson for his first goal of the season. The defense withstood a late push to get it over the line. Ehlers' goal was the difference, earning the team its seventh win in a row, 3-2, over the Jets.
Kochetkov deserves blame for the goals, but he settled in to stay perfect
Two things can be true. Pyotr Kochetkov didn't have his best game with the puck. His indecision led to a pass that handcuffed Nikolaj Ehlers before he turned it over to Mark Scheifele. He also didn't come out of his net with authority to get the puck away from Adam Lowry before his turnover allowed Winnipeg to regain the lead. It was an uncharacteristically tough game in that department.
However, outside of that one area, Kochetkov was excellent once more. He made a season-high 21 saves and continued his stretch of allowing two goals or fewer, doing so in all five of his starts this season and keeping his perfect start going. While he had some tough moments, the positives outweigh the negatives by a landslide.
Kochetkov's best moments in the contest came on a pair of 2-on-1s by the Jets' top line. On both chances, Kochetkov read the puckhandler's eyes to get over and deny the chance. He challenged at the right times, didn't get reckless with his stick, and bounced back when he made mistakes. That he got the start today should indicate that he'll make two more during this trip.
When the top line started slowly, the rest of the group picked them up
For the first time since Opening Night, the top line looked human. They didn't have a great start to the contest, but they got better as the game progressed. Sebastian Aho saw his point streak end at seven games, but I'm sure he'd trade that for a victory any day. The top line combined for just two shots, both from Andrei Svechnikov. It's a good thing that the Hurricanes aren't a one-line team.
The second line was arguably the Canes' best today, combining for ten shots. They also played a big hand in the team's first goal on the power play. Logan Stankoven, who led the Canes with five shots, and Bradly Nadeau each picked up assists on Mark Jankowski's sixth goal in as many games, tying him for the record since relocation. Nadeau didn't look out of place at all on the second line.
Speaking of Jankowski, he's on the heater of all heaters over the last six games. He didn't wait until the end of the game to extend his personal streak, roofing a shot on the power play. The defensive group was also excellent again. Jaccob Slavin blocked four shots. Mike Reilly made a few beautiful stick plays early in the game. Shayne Gostisbehere had two primary helpers.
The former Jet picked the right time to light the lamp for the first time
It was almost 11 months ago when Nikolaj Ehlers made his first trip back to Winnipeg after signing with the Hurricanes. In that game, with the Canes up 3-2 on an early third-period power play, Ehlers found Svechnikov with a cross-seam pass to help extend the lead on what would turn out to be the game-winning goal. During his second visit, Ehlers called his own number.
This time, the game was tied at two, but the time and situation remained the same. The Canes' power play, which had already converted once in the game, was throwing everything at the net, only to be turned away. As they reloaded, Ehlers found himself without a defender in front of him at the top of the dots. He wound up and hammered it into the net, collecting his first goal of the season.
There are no ill feelings from the Winnipeg crowd toward Ehlers, if the ovation he received before the game is any indication. He was one of the players I placed under a microscope heading into the road trip. He still needs to shoot the puck more, though he was one-for-one in Winnipeg. It was a good start to the trip for the group, with this moment being a great memory for the bank.
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