WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Jordan Staal scored twice and the Carolina Hurricanes beat Winnipeg 4-3 on Friday night in the Jets’ first game since learning star goalie Connor Hellebuyck will be sidelined four to six weeks.
Hellebuyck will have arthroscopic surgery for a knee problem dating to training camp. Eric Comrie made 24 saves against the Hurricanes.
Seth Jarvis scored short-handed for Carolina and Andrei Svechnikov added a goal. Backup goalie Brandon Bussi stopped 24 shots. The Hurricanes are 3-0-2 in their last five games, scoring three or more goals in each game.
Gabriel Vilardi scored twice and defenseman Josh Morrissey added a goal for Winnipeg, extending his points streak to seven games.
Staal scored 16 seconds into the game, making a move to get around defenseman Dylan Samberg and firing the puck past Comrie on the stick side.
Morrissey tied it at 3:45, followed by Vilardi’s power-play marker at 9:28 after a Carolina turnover.
Staal notched his second of the game when he got his stick on Jalen Chatfield’s point shot at 3:08 of the second. Jarvis scored his 11th goal the season at 6:31.
Svechnikov stretched the lead to 4-2 three minutes into the third and Vilardi made it a one-goal game 54 seconds later.
The Jets played a video tribute in the first period for Carolina forward Nikolaj Ehlers, who played 674 games for Winnipeg before signing with the Hurricanes in the off-season.
Ehlers sent a no-look pass across the front of the net for Svechnikov, who beat Comrie at 3:19 of the third for a 4-2 cushion.
Up next
Hurricanes: At Buffalo on Sunday.
Jets: Host Minnesota on Sunday.
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