Hurricanes vs. Jets: Nikolaj Ehlers Burns His Old Team as Carolina Wins Seventh Straight

Nikolaj Ehlers spent 10 seasons in a Winnipeg Jets sweater. On Saturday afternoon, he needed one slap shot from the high slot to break his old building's heart.

Ehlers scored on the power play 6:43 into the third period, his first goal of the season, and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Jets 3-2 at Canada Life Centre to stretch their winning streak to seven games. It was a homecoming with a twist ending, and the twist was mostly bad news for the 14,415 in the stands.

A Second Period That Played Like a Tennis Rally

The first 20 minutes produced nothing on the scoreboard. Neal Pionk and Sebastian Aho each took minors, nobody scored, and the matinee crowd waited.

Then the second period turned into a volley. Mark Scheifele got it started at 4:23, forcing a turnover in the Carolina zone and tucking a backhand past Pyotr Kochetkov for a 1-0 Jets lead. Scheifele's goal stretched his point streak to five games, with two goals and six assists in that span, per NHL.com.

Carolina answered on the power play. Viggo Björck was whistled for cross-checking Logan Stankoven at 6:33, and Mark Jankowski finished from the low slot at 8:19, with Stankoven and Bradly Nadeau assisting. That made it six straight games with a goal for Jankowski.

Winnipeg punched right back. At 10:59, captain Adam Lowry pickpocketed Kochetkov, who had wandered out of his crease to play the puck, and fed Alex Iafallo for a tap-in. 2-1 Jets. Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour later lumped that one in with the other Winnipeg goal: "There was two (freebies) that you don't really like," he said.

Carolina tied it again at 16:50 when Jesperi Kotkaniemi tipped a Shayne Gostisbehere point shot, with Eric Robinson picking up the second assist. It was Kotkaniemi's first goal of the season, and it arrived in just 10:00 of ice time. Four goals, two Winnipeg leads, two Carolina equalizers and one very busy goal judge.

The Turning Point: A Trip and a Homecoming

Early in the third, Dylan DeMelo tripped Jackson Blake at 4:49, and Carolina's power play went back to work. Gostisbehere found Ehlers in the high slot, and Ehlers ripped a slap shot past Clay Stevenson at 6:43. Carolina's power play finished a perfect 2-for-2 on the day.

The goal carried extra weight. Ehlers played for the Jets from 2015 through 2025, and with this one he has now scored against all 32 NHL teams, according to NHL.com. He clearly felt it.

"It is extremely special," Ehlers said. "In some ways, it still feels like home. It feels weird taking the bus to the hotel here. But I loved my time here, and I appreciate the people here so much."

The Jets had one last push. With fewer than 40 seconds left, Kochetkov kicked out a pad on Cole Perfetti, then stopped 18-year-old Björck with his helmet, according to the AP. Not the textbook technique, but the goal judge's light stayed off.

The Stars: A Streak, a Perfect Goalie and a Setup Man

Jankowski is the story nobody saw coming. His six-game goal streak ties the third-longest in Hurricanes history, trailing only Pierre Larouche (nine games in 1981-82) and Ray Ferraro (seven in 1988-89), per NHL.com. He has six goals in nine games after scoring 11 in 68 games last season, and he has done it with Seth Jarvis, Taylor Hall and Jordan Staal all out injured.

"He's just a guy that can do a little bit of everything and we need that right now," Brind'Amour said. "He's a guy we can rely on in every situation, and when you have the guys we have out, that's what we need."

Kochetkov made 21 saves on 23 shots and is now 5-0-0. NHL.com noted he is only the second goaltender in Hurricanes history to start a season with five straight wins, joining Frederik Andersen, who went 8-0-0 in 2021-22. The Lowry steal was a blemish, but the late stops on Perfetti and Björck made up for it.

Gostisbehere assisted on the tying goal and the winner from the back end in 15:47.

For Winnipeg, Stevenson was tremendous in a losing effort with 34 saves on 37 shots, and Lowry won 10 of 17 draws to go with his assist. The Jets threw 33 hits and blocked 21 shots, so effort was not the issue. Execution with a man in the box was.

"We gave up two power-play goals and that's something where our (penalty kill) has been really, really good," Jets coach Scott Arniel said. "These are all lessons."

Stats That Matter

• 2-for-2: Carolina's power play, which produced the tying goal in the second and the winner in the third.
• 37-23: The Hurricanes' edge in shots on goal.
• 6: Straight games with a goal for Jankowski, tied for third-longest in franchise history.
• 5-0-0: Carolina's road record, the first time in franchise history it has won its first five road games of a season, per NHL.com.
• 34: Saves for Stevenson, who kept the Jets in it until the final horn.

What It Means

Carolina improves to 7-1-1 with 15 points and has won seven straight since opening the season 0-1-1. Kochetkov has not lost yet, and the Hurricanes keep winning while key forwards sit. Brind'Amour liked the response after the two Winnipeg goals. "I thought we buckled down and played a real good second half of the game," he said. Carolina visits Calgary on Sunday.

Winnipeg falls to 4-2-2 with 10 points, and the AP noted this was the Jets' first regulation loss on home ice this season. They have dropped three of their past four (1-2-1), including Thursday's overtime loss in Chicago. Lowry called the Hurricanes "defending Stanley Cup champions for a reason," adding that "they stick to their game." Kyle Connor echoed it: "They know what they are and they're on top of you all over the ice," he said. The Jets visit St. Louis on Tuesday.

Closing Take

This was the Hallmark movie version of a road game: the beloved local returns, everyone is happy to see him, and he leaves with exactly what he came for. The difference is that Winnipeg did not get a happy ending. Ehlers got the goal, Carolina got its seventh straight, and the Jets got a long look at a team that, in Connor's words, plays "so much quicker" when everyone knows their reads.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details from the Associated Press; postgame quotes and notes as reported by NHL.com.