Recap: Staal Strikes Twice As Canes Ground Jets

WINNIPEG, Man. - A two-goal night for the captain helped propel the Carolina Hurricanes back into the win column with a 4-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre. The Canes have now recorded a point in five straight games (3-0-2).

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After a slow start hampered them in Minnesota on Wednesday, the Canes needed just 16 seconds to get on the board on Friday, as Jordan Staal snapped a shot past Eric Comrie to open the scoring. Despite Carolina taking early control, though, the Jets were able to answer with a pair of goals separated by just under six minutes to exit the first period up by one.

Undeterred, Carolina responded with two more tallies of its own in the middle frame. Staal's second of the night evened things up at 3:08, deflecting home Jalen Chatfield's shot-pass and giving No. 5 an assist in his first game back from injury. Winnipeg product Seth Jarvis then lifted the Hurricanes to their second lead of the night three minutes later, once again converting defense to offense while shorthanded alongside Sebastian Aho, whose breakaway bid left a loose puck in front for Jarvis to put home.

With momentum and a new lead in hand, Carolina stretched its advantage to two 3:19 into the third as former Jet Nikolaj Ehlers fired a perfect seam pass to Andrei Svechnikov for a one-time blast and a power-play goal. Winnipeg cut the lead to one just over a minute later, but came no closer as the Canes closed out the win.

Brandon Bussi picked up his fifth win in six career starts with 24 saves on 27 shots.

Stats & Standouts

• Forward Jordan Staal scored 16 seconds into Friday's contest, matching the third-fastest goal to start a road game in Hurricanes team history (since relocation). Staal also owns the record for scoring in that scenario with his marker 12 seconds into Carolina's win over LA on Oct. 18 of this year.
• With those two tucks, Staal is just the second player in franchise history to score a goal within the opening 20 seconds of a game multiple times in a season. The only other player to do so is Hartford's Doug Sulliman in 1982-83.
• Forward Nikolaj Ehlers tallied an assist, cementing his eighth outing with a point in his last nine games. Since posting his first point on Oct. 20, Ehlers' 14 points in 16 games are tied with Sebastian Aho for the most among Hurricanes in that span.
• Forward Seth Jarvis scored the 10th shorthanded goal of his career, becoming the fifth player in franchise history to reach that benchmark alongside Sebastian Aho (20), Eric Staal (16), Dave Tippett (11) and Rod Brind’Amour (10).
• Forward Sebastian Aho notched two assists for his team-leading fifth multi-point performance of the season. Aho leads the team with 21 points (8G, 13A) in 21 games on the year.
• Defenseman K'Andre Miller also logged a pair of helpers for his fourth multi-point outing in just 15 games as a Hurricane, trailing only Aho in that category.
• Defenseman Jalen Chatfield skated in his first game since sustaining an injury on Nov. 6 against Minnesota. Chatfield logged 21:34 and recorded an assist after missing the last seven games.
• The Hurricanes are the first Eastern Conference team to reach 30 points in 2025-26. Their 14 wins are tied for the third-most in franchise history through the first 21 games of a season, trailing only the 15 achieved in 2021-22 and 2024-25.

They Said It...

Rod Brind'Amour on the victory...

"I liked the game. I thought we were good all night. Obviously, we had a couple of gaffes - one was a bad line change, one was kind of a weird turnover that ends up in your net - but other than that, I thought we were pretty solid all night. We had a couple of big plays, Jordo keeps leading the way. That line, especially, (was great). Overall, I thought it was a great effort from all 20 guys."

Jordan Staal after the win...

"Everyone chipped in in all the aspects. Power play with a massive goal, PK was great, Bussi played good, D-core was solid, and we had goals throughout the lineup. It was a full team effort, and we need everyone if we want to win against teams like that. I thought everyone played really well."

Rod Brind'Amour following Jordan Staal's second multi-goal game of the season...

"With him, he could score every night. If you watch him, he gets opportunities every night like that. You know how it goes, sometimes they go in, sometimes they don't. But he's always around it. Tonight, the first one was a great goal. Normally, you see him get more like the other ones, a tip in front, or some sort of goal around the net, but he was obviously our best player tonight."

Andrei Svechnikov discussing Nikolaj Ehlers, who had the primary assist on his third-period game-winner...

"(He's) one of the best passers in the league. You've just always kind of got to expect it and get open. He's always going to find you."

Brandon Bussi on settling into the game after Winnipeg's two-goal first period...

"Just move on to the next shot. They're good players and they're going to make good plays. I honestly just trust what I do well in games. I felt good. I felt like I was going to make the next save, and it felt good to help out in whatever way I could."

Rod Brind'Amour when asked about Brandon Bussi's night...

"He didn't have a lot of work in the first two periods. A couple of weird bounces that there was nothing he could do about (on Winnipeg's first two goals). You're going to need some saves, that's just how it's going to happen. They put their little push on at the end, two or three Grade A opportunities on their best players' stick, that's when you need a goalie to make a difference, and he did."

Jordan Staal as the team moves on to Buffalo to close out the road trip...

"It's a mental grind, especially the last game of the road trip. You're just kind of itching to get home. It's about being a professional... and showing up ready to work. I think the boys will be ready in Buffalo."

What's Next After This Game?

• The Canes are scheduled to practice on Saturday in Buffalo. They'll return to game action against the Sabres on Sunday afternoon.
• Next Game: Sunday, Nov. 23 at Buffalo | 1:00 p.m. ET | FDSNSO, NHLN
• Next Home Game: Wednesday, Nov. 26 vs. NY Rangers | 7:00 p.m. ET | Tickets | Parking