Carolina Hurricanes at Winnipeg Jets: Game Preview

You enjoyed having the Carolina Hurricanes at home for a few days, right? Good, because it’s time for another week of late nights, challenging travel and copious amounts of Red Bull.

This time, instead of a swing through the western U.S., it’s time for the Canes’ annual jaunt to western Canada, with a visit to Minnesota (a.k.a. South Manitoba) thrown in at the end for good measure. Eight nights, five games, an appearance on Hockey Night in Canada, and a rather special homecoming...what’s not to love?

Game Notes

• That homecoming is tonight for Seth Jarvis, who will play his first professional game in his hometown of Winnipeg. He told the media yesterday that he’s already secured 22 tickets for tonight’s game, with another 15 others asking for a solid. Good thing that first year of the contract kicked in, because he’s going to be racking up some serious credit card points.
• Want to feel old? Jarvis was the ripe old age of nine when the Thrashers moved to Winnipeg in 2011, which was more than ten years ago.
• Jarvis isn’t the only connection between Winnipeg and Carolina. Jets coach Paul Maurice, now in his ninth season in Winnipeg, is the all-time winningest coach for both franchises. Former Hurricane Riley Nash is a Jet, at least for the time being - he’s on waivers and may not be on the roster by game time tonight.
• And this is the first of two matchups this season between the brothers Svechnikov. Evgeny signed with the Jets just prior to opening night after being non-tendered by the Red Wings in the offseason.
• This is the Canes’ first visit to Winnipeg in almost two years, thanks to the pandemic. (You’ll notice that timeframe quite a bit in the next week; this year’s western Canada roadtrip runs from December 7-14, and in 2019 it was December 10-17.) Sebastian Aho and Jordan Staal both scored twice in a 6-3 Hurricanes win. You probably don’t remember either of those goals, but you certainly remember this one:

• The Hurricanes and Jets have played 92 times, owing mostly to their time as division rivals in years gone by. Unsurprisingly given the Canes’ ownership of the Thrashers in the past, the Canes’ .625 winning percentage against the Thrasherjets is their highest against any NHL club.
• The trip to Canada comes at a bad time for the Hurricanes; Brett Pesce and Tony DeAngelo are not on the trip, owing to the strict Covid protocols in place for teams entering Canada. However, assuming each continues to remain asymptomatic and eventually tests negative, they will likely be able to return next week when the Canes come back to the U.S. of A.