In Raleigh, North Carolina, Mark Jankowski’s performance was pivotal as the Carolina Hurricanes triumphed over the Winnipeg Jets with a 4-2 victory on Sunday. Jankowski netted two goals, contributing significantly to the Hurricanes’ fourth consecutive win, while Logan Stankoven and Seth Jarvis also found the back of the net for Carolina. Frederik Andersen was effective in goal, making 20 stops.
For the Jets, Alex Iafallo and Adam Lowry managed to score, with Connor Hellebuyck making 23 saves in his role as goalkeeper.
This game marked Carolina’s first outing since the trade deadline, which saw some significant changes. The Hurricanes acquired Stankoven from Dallas in exchange for Mikko Rantanen, who had only recently joined the team from Colorado. In another transaction, Jankowski was brought on board from Nashville.
Jankowski’s contributions came early, as he scored from the right circle with 1:55 remaining in the first period, putting Carolina ahead 1-0. Just over five minutes into the second period, Jankowski struck again to extend the lead. This was Jankowski’s first multi-goal game since February 2020. Stankoven later solidified the Hurricanes’ lead with a power-play goal a couple of minutes into the third period.
The Jets, coming off a strong offensive showing with six goals against New Jersey on Friday, were kept off the scoresheet until Iafallo scored on Andersen from an unusual angle in the final moments of the third period. Lowry managed to bag another goal in the closing minute, though it was too late to alter the outcome. Notably, Winnipeg’s highly regarded power play was unusually ineffective, failing to capitalize on three opportunities.
The Hurricanes, on the other hand, continued to struggle with their own power play, succeeding on only one of six chances on Sunday and making that three successful attempts out of their past 28 opportunities across eight games.
A moment of contention occurred when Winnipeg’s Cole Perfetti appeared to have scored a goal that would have reduced Carolina’s lead, but after a detailed review, it was ruled out due to Perfetti’s stick being too high.
Carolina’s defensive record when taking a lead into the final period remains impressive, now standing at 29-0-3.
Looking ahead, the Jets will face the New York Rangers in their next game on Tuesday, while the Hurricanes prepare to host Tampa Bay.
