'Confidence' Fueling Seth Jarvis' Historic Start

LOS ANGELES - Seth Jarvis can be hard on himself. Sometimes, to his own detriment.

You saw it in the latest season of FACEOFF: Inside The NHL, which features Jarvis swearing at himself in practice, struggling to strike a balance between self-motivation and self-deprecation, and noting how he "still gets in his own head" at times. But by the end of the episode, Jarvis had learned a lesson or two about how to navigate the doubt that sometimes plagues him.

"I learned so much about myself," he says of his experiences during the 2024-25 season. "I know who I am as a person and as a player. I know there are a few more levels that I've got in my game, and that's what keeps me hungry."

Just over a week into the 2025-26 campaign, it's clear he intends to get to the next level of his game in short order.

Having started the season with five goals in four games, including the 100th of his career, the Winnipeg, Man. native was asked before Saturday's game in Los Angeles what he's learned about being a goal-scorer along the way. The answer was something that was perhaps lacking during his harsh assessments of himself over the years.

"You can't lose confidence," Jarvis told FanDuel Sports Network's Tripp Tracy. "Sometimes it's not going in, but you can't score if you don't shoot. That's what I've learned over the years."

That confidence is what helped Jarvis achieve an NHL first later that night.

No player in league history had ever scored four game-winning goals in a team's first five contests of a given season until Jarvis' dagger on the only shot of overtime on Saturday.

A historic benchmark made even more impressive by the fact that three of those game-winners were go-ahead goals in the third period or overtime, Jarvis continues to shine when the game is on the line.

"I want to be a big-time player and I like these moments. I like the pressure," he said after the win in LA. "When you have a chance and the game on your stick, it's always fun. To be trusted in these moments, and to capitalize like I have, it's awesome."

This is no flash in the pan, either - among those drafted in 2020, Jarvis ranks second in game-winning goals (19) and third in overtime tallies (4), showcasing a growing clutch gene that has become a hallmark of his game.

"He's a special player in special times. We see time and time again that he seems to be coming through for us," said Head Coach Rod Brind'Amour.

High praise from the bench boss, for sure, but what he said next might have been the biggest compliment he could give.

"We need all kinds of guys. He's a different player than (Jordan Staal), but just as valuable."

Staal, Carolina's captain during seven of Brind'Amour's eight seasons behind the bench, has long been the cloth from which the coach would like all of his players to be cut. Dependable, consistent and responsible, what he lacks in flash he more than makes up for in substance.

Jarvis' game may look different than that of his captain, but the pillars on which it is built are exactly what Brind'Amour is looking for.

Jarvis' chase for "a million" goals is off to a hot start, as he comfortably leads his club with six strikes thus far, a total tied for the most by a Hurricanes/Whalers player through the first five games of a season.

His pedigree as a goal-scorer is well-established - last season saw him become the first Hurricane other than linemate Sebastian Aho to record consecutive 30-goal campaigns since Eric Staal did so from 2005-09 - but his timely tallies are adding yet another dimension to his expansive potential.

And just 23 years old, there are still miles of runway remaining for a star that's been steadily rising since he first set foot in the City of Oaks.

"It's fun to see. It feels like he's getting better every year," said Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Jarvis' teammate for each of his five NHL seasons.

"He's a big player for us; he shows up every night. Those are the guys we need."