Hurricanes come from behind again, beat Jets to keep pace with Rangers in division race
The Carolina Hurricanes still have a piece of the lead in the NHL’s Metropolitan Division, but it took a strong third-period push Thursday to keep that piece.
The Canes battled their way back into the game against the Winnipeg Jets at PNC Arena, taking the lead on goals by defenseman Jaccob Slavin and then winger Seth Jarvis for a 4-2 victory.
The Canes, picking up their 50th win of the season, kept pace with the New York Rangers, who topped the Islanders 6-3 on Thursday. The two teams, who face off Tuesday in New York, both have 108 points and have clinched home-ice advantage in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
“We’ve had a lot of these (games) the last month where you can’t ask for much more,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “Goalies have played great against us and it looked like the same thing tonight.”
On Thursday, it was Jets goalie Eric Comrie playing great. The Canes (50-20-8) had 15 shots in the opening period and another 17 in the second before they finally found a way to beat Comrie.
Teuvo Teravainen’s shot from the top of the slot, with Andrei Svechnikov screening Comrie, found the net on a four-on-three Canes power play. Just like that, the game turned with 30 seconds left in the second.
“The key was just breaking through there,” Brind’Amour said. “Now we’re one shot out, not two. I thought we had a really good third and definitely earned that one.”
Jarvis’ goal at 8:21 of the third pushed the Canes in front 3-2 for their first lead of the game. The goal was challenged by Jets interim coach Dave Lowry, who claimed goaltender interference by Jarvis, but the goal stood after review.
Slavin’s goal, his fourth, came after the Canes attacked the net, his shot coming to Comrie’s right and glancing off the far post with Canes winger Martin Necas lurking.
Jordan Staal’s empty-net goal with 47 seconds remaining made it 4-2, giving goalie Antti Raanta his 14th win of the season after a 20-save performance that had the Jets manage just five shots in the third.
Slavin noted that Brind’Amour’s pregame speech Thursday dealt with “What are you going to do after bad things happen?” Sure enough, the Jets’ Kyle Connor scored his 44th of the season and Pierre-Luc Dubois his 27th in the opening period for a 2-0 lead.
“Not off to a great start but just stick with it,” Slavin said. “It just teaches you resiliency and that’s what you need going into the playoffs.”
The Jets (35-32-11) will not be in the playoffs after what has been a disappointing, frustrating season that had head coach Paul Maurice step aside and resign in December. But they played like a playoff-caliber team the first two periods Thursday.
Jarvis’ goal, his 15th and the third game-winner of his rookie season, came against his hometown team. The Winnipeg native said he grew up admiring the play of the Jets’ Nikolaj Ehlers -- Ehlers the “older” vet at 26 and Jarvis 20.
Jarvis showed some of Ehlers’ grit and scoring touch, going to the front of the net and outbattling veteran defenseman Nate Schmidt for position to get the puck past Comrie.
“He looks big out there,” Teravainen said. “Good job in the net-front there and a big goal.”
Of note
Defenseman Tony DeAngelo earned an assist, his 49th point of the season. That tied him with Justin Faulk (2014-15) for most points by a D-man in Hurricanes history.
Staal was back in the lineup after missing one game with an upper-body injury. Staal took a hard hit from Colorado’s Cale Makar in Saturday’s road game. ...
Canes assistant coach Jeff Daniels was behind the bench after suffering a nasty cut at Thursday’s morning skate when he was hit on the top of the head by a puck.
This story was originally published April 21, 2022 at 9:38 PM.
