In some ways this game was going to be a measuring stick type game for the @Winnipeg Jets against a pretty good @Carolina Hurricanes club that has been hot on the road. The Jets sadly didn’t pass the test on Tuesday night as a really bad second period sunk them en route to a 6-3 loss at home.

A relatively fine first for both teams if not played a little cautiously on both sides. Carolina’s ability to keep pucks in the offensive zone was evident through much of the period, but the Jets defense did well to limit shots. Winnipeg actually led in shots for the period 13-11.

Scoring didn’t happen until late in the period when the Hurricanes took advantage of a Jets penalty by getting a bit of a fortunate goal.

It sure looked like the Canes were going to go into the dressing room with a 1-0 lead, but the Jets had a late push in the period and thanks to a very nifty deflection from @Jack Roslovic, got the game tied with seven seconds left to play.

It all kind of fell apart big time on Winnipeg in the middle frame.

Sebastian Aho made it 2-1, but really it was the extra zippy pass from Teuvo Teravainen that baffled @Neal Pionk and made it maybe the easiest goal Aho will score all season.

The Jets were sluggish for most of the second period, and were also dealing with multiple injuries including one to @Andrew Copp who left the game midway through the period after missing a hit. The Jets didn’t even get a shot on goal until the 12:18 mark of the second, but what a shot it was as it just happened to be tipped by @Patrik Laine to tie things up again.

From there the game seemed to find another speed as both teams started free-wheeling around the ice some more, but that didn’t exactly benefit the Jets as the Canes piled on three more goals in the next 5:33 including a couple of spirit breakers with a @Andrei Svechnikov lacross goal and then a second Aho goal that came after @Blake Wheeler rang a shot off the post seconds earlier.

To make matters worse, @Anthony Bitetto takes a really bad holding penalty late in the period and the Canes score a second power play goal to all but end the game before the second period is over.

Much like Sunday, any thoughts of a comeback were dashed early in the period as Laurent Brossoit came in for relief of @Connor Hellebuyck who didn’t have his best night behind a defense who pretty much had abandoned him. Brossoit didn’t fare much better.

As you’d expect, the Hurricanes put it into cruise control after that. The Jets did get one back of their own on the power play…

But Canes goalie @Peter Mrazek was pretty solid stopping 30 of 33 shots faced and when he was beaten he had a little bit of a luck as @Jack Roslovic saw the same fate that Wheeler had seen earlier.

The Canes overwhelmed the Jets with speed and skill in the second period and Winnipeg’s defense had little answer for it. Couple that with the fact that Hellebuyck didn’t stand on his head this time around, and you end up with a three goal loss that felt bigger than that.

 

Hard to pick a guy in this game as they all had off moments. @Mark Scheifele had a goal and six shots, but he also struggled in his own end of the ice. Jack Roslovic also deserves some credit for a decent game with a goal and nearly a second.

 

The Jets get back to divisional play later this week and it starts with a visit to Winnipeg by the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night. Puck drop is set for 7 PM CST with the game on TSN 3 and TSN 1290.