The Carolina Hurricanes left the Winnipeg Jets in their wake with a 5-1 win at Lenovo Center on Friday, making it back-to-back victories over Winnipeg in just seven days. Forward Seth Jarvis was the maestro of the night, scoring a second career hat trick.
Jarvis reached 20 points in just 24 games, the fastest in his career, with five goals in his last four contests. He leads Carolina with 15 goals, becoming the second player since relocation to hit 15 goals in 24 games, joining Eric Staal from the 2005-06 Stanley Cup season.
The opening period saw Jarvis break the deadlock at 16:06, finishing a precise setup from defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere. Sebastian Aho collected the secondary assist, his 16th helper of the season, while Carolina carried a 10-5 shot advantage after the first frame. Brandon Bussi, making his seventh start of the season, stopped all five shots he faced in the opening period.
The Jets struck back in the second period, taking advantage of a Hurricanes turnover. Gabe Vilardi intercepted a pass from Andrei Svechnikov and sent Mark Scheifele in on a breakaway to tie the game 1-1 at 10:41. The period ended with Winnipeg holding a 10-11 shot deficit, but Bussi kept Carolina in the game with consistent saves.
The Hurricanes broke open the game in the third period, scoring four goals in the final 8 1/2 minutes. Jordan Martinook tallied the game-winning goal at 11:52 with a snap shot from the high slot off a Mark Jankowski pass. Just 47 seconds later, Jarvis struck again, giving Carolina a 3-1 lead. His hat trick was completed with an empty-net goal at 18:57. Alexander Nikishin added a late one-timer from the point to finalize the 5-1 scoreline, with Justin Robidas recording his first NHL assist on the play.
Bussi finished with 12 saves and a .923 save percentage, earning his sixth win in seven starts and becoming the first goalie in franchise history to reach that total in such a stretch. The Jets' rookie netminder, Thomas Milic, selected 151st overall in 2023, made 30 stops in his NHL debut but was unable to contain the Hurricanes’ third-period scoring spree.
Thanks to the win, Carolina improved to 15-7-2, ending a two-game losing streak and extending their season sweep of Winnipeg. The Hurricanes will carry their winning form into Sunday’s clash with the Calgary Flames, hoping to close their seven-game homestand on a winning note.
