Photo Credit: Conrad Jack (Inside The Rink)

Carolina Hurricanes (6-1-0) at Winnipeg Jets (4-1-2)
Venue: Canada Life Centre
Date: Today – Saturday, October 17
Time: 2:30 pm CST
How To Watch: Sportsnet
Radio: 680 CJOB

Purchase tickets via Ticketmaster

Carolina Hurricanes News & Notes:

The Carolina Hurricanes hit the ice this afternoon, October 17, looking to extend their hot start as they open a Canadian road trip against the Winnipeg Jets. Carolina enters the matchup carrying a strong record following a hard-fought 4-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night.

In that contest, goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 20 of 22 shots he faced against a heavy Washington offence. Andrei Svechnikov recorded three points, while Sebastian Aho added a pair of assists.

To flush out their depth, the Hurricanes recalled defenseman Juuso Valimaki under emergency conditions from the Chicago Wolves. The puck drops at 2:30 PM CT as the Hurricanes’ elite defensive structure faces a heavy test against Winnipeg’s offence.

Carolina lost Taylor Hall to an upper-body injury on Tuesday against Washington, and the forward is listed as out for the foreseeable future.

Winnipeg Jets News & Notes:

The Winnipeg Jets return to home ice this afternoon, October 17, carrying a 4-1-2 record ahead of a highly anticipated cross-conference clash against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Winnipeg is looking to bounce back after a hard-fought 4-3 overtime loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night. In that road contest, defenseman Neal Pionk put the shorthanded blue line on his back, logging a three-point performance with a goal and two assists. Kyle Connor also found the back of the net, marking his steady offensive production early in the campaign.

In net, Stuart Skinner turned away 24 shots but couldn’t quite stop the final push in extra time. The puck drops at 2:30 PM CT at Canada Life Centre as the Jets look to lock down two points and defend their strong early-season standing.

Vladislav Namestnikov is week-to-week with an undisclosed injury after taking a tumble in the boards during the Jets’ morning skate on Thursday in Chicago. Josh Morrissey was also downgraded from day-to-day to week-to-week.

Carolina Hurricanes Projected Lines

Carrier – Aho – Svechnikov
Nadeau – Stankoven – Blake
Ehlers – Jankowski – Martinook
Robinson – Kotkaniemi – Unger Sorum

Slavin – Chatfield
Miller – Walker
Gostibehere – Reilly

Bussi
Kochetkov

Winnipeg Jets Projected Lines

Connor – Scheifele – Perfetti
Niederreiter – Bjorck – Vilardi
Rosen – Lowry – Iafallo
Koepke – Barron – Lambert

Ferraro – DeMelo
Samberg – Pionk
Fleury – Bauer

Stevenson
Skinner

Players To Watch:

Carolina Hurricanes

Martin Nečas: The explosive winger is playing with elite confidence, driving the Hurricanes’ transition game and carrying a multi-point performance into today’s game.

Sebastian Aho: The Hurricanes sniper is driving the team’s top line with supreme precision, carrying massive momentum into this afternoon’s game after lighting the lamp against Washington.

Winnipeg Jets

Neal Pionk: Moving into elite minutes in Morrissey’s absence, the veteran blueliner is in spectacular form after dictating the pace of Thursday’s game with a dominant three-point night.

Brad Lambert: The highly skilled playmaker is flashing high-end vision, fresh off recording a primary helper against Chicago to ignite the team’s depth scoring

Next game

Carolina Hurricanes – October 18 vs Calgary Flames
Winnipeg Jets – October 20 vs St. Louis Blues