Nikolaj Ehlers’ Game-Winner Lifts Hurricanes to Seventh Straight Win in 3-2 Triumph Over Jets

The Carolina Hurricanes opened their five-game road trip Saturday afternoon in Winnipeg, facing the Jets without captain Jordan Staal, Taylor Hall, and Seth Jarvis. Bradly Nadeau and Felix Unger Sörum made their season debuts amid a flurry of injury and roster movement. In a tightly contested back-and-forth battle, Carolina prevailed 3-2, extending its winning streak to seven games and improving to 1-0-0 to begin the road swing.

Depth Scoring Fuels Victory Over Winnipeg

Mark Jankowski extended his scoring streak to six straight games, matching a franchise record since the team relocated in 1997. According to Walt Ruff and Peter Dewer of the Hurricanes, only Ray Ferraro (seven games in 1988-89) and Pierre Larouche (nine games in 1981-82) have longer streaks. Jankowski has joined Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov as one of the team’s hottest scorers, with each player recording six goals through nine games.

Through nine contests, Jankowski has tallied six goals and seven points. After finishing the 2025-26 season with 11 goals and 21 points in 68 games, he is already halfway to last year’s total. With that pace, he could exceed it before January 2027. “Janks” appears poised for a career year based on his strong start to 2026-27.

Asked about his goal streak after the game, Jankowski said, “It just feels great to help the team win any way possible. That’s always been my philosophy. [I’m] just trying to do all the little things right and then eventually, the goals and all that come afterwards…” Stepping into the third-line center role with Jordan Staal out of the lineup, Jankowski is being rewarded for his steady play.

While Jankowski continues his consecutive-game scoring run, former Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers scored the game-winner against his old team. His first goal of the season came on the power play at 6:43 of the third period, giving Carolina a perfect 2-for-2 showing with the man advantage. The penalty kill also went 1-for-1, helping the Hurricanes win the special teams battle.

Ehlers now has one goal and five points in nine games this season. After recording 26 goals and 71 points in 82 games last year, the question is whether he can return to that form. It took him until game 13 to score his first goal with Carolina in 2025-26; now that he has found the net in game nine against his former club, the Danish forward may be ready to break out.

Pyotr Kochetkov continued his stellar season between the pipes. The Russian goaltender won his fifth straight game, stopping 21 of 23 shots for a .913 save percentage against Winnipeg. Through five starts, he is 5-0-0 with a 1.78 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage. It is the finest start of his career, validating the next-level potential goalie coach Paul Schonfelder highlighted before the season.

Kochetkov’s five victories tie him for second in the NHL. His 1.78 GAA ranks fifth, while his .912 save percentage sits 17th. With his fifth consecutive win and third straight start, Carolina is riding its hot netminder to open the road trip. Brandon Bussi is slated to start Sunday in Calgary, meaning Kochetkov could next take the ice Tuesday, Oct. 20 against the Vancouver Canucks. Carolina already beat Vancouver 7-2 on Oct. 8.

The Hurricanes return to action Sunday night versus the Calgary Flames to complete the weekend back-to-back. Carolina is now 7-1-1 and riding a seven-game winning streak. Even without three key contributors, the next-man-up mentality is driving the team. The power play remains potent, depth scoring delivered in Winnipeg, and the defending Stanley Cup champions look poised to repeat.

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