What is it about the Carolina Hurricanes that make the Winnipeg Jets so tentative at the start of the game? Once again the Jets failed to show up early, tried a miracle comeback late, only to fall 2-1 to the Hurricanes. The loss snapped the Jets four-game road winning streak while assuring the Hurricanes a season sweep against the Jets.

The Hurricanes set the tone early by playing a solid puck possession game, utilizing a decent forecheck while clogging up the neutral zone to thwart any Jet attacks.

The Jets special teams let them down yet again as Jordan Staal’s power play marker midway through the first period opened the scoring. Yes the call on Drew Stafford was iffy at best but good teams overcome adversity while bad teams let questionable calls affect their play.

The Hurricanes notched a second power play goal midway through the second as Riley Nash banged home a rebound past Ondrej Pavelec.

Through two periods the Jets had 8 shots on goal and looked as listless as Coldplay’s performance during the Super Bowl halftime show.

The Jets finally woke up in the third as they started to gain entries into the Carolina zone and use a forecheck of their own. It paid off at the 6:52 mark of the third as Jacob Trouba’s point shot was tipped home by Blake Wheeler to pull the Jets to within one.

The Jets did put some pressure on the Carolina goal but solid goaltending by Eddie Lack helped Carolina hold on to the victory. Andrew Ladd’s cross checking penalty late in the third didn’t help either.

Three Keys:

Slow Starting Jets: The Jets may have been inspired by former teammate Evander Kane as they looked like they overslept and missed the alarm to start the game. The Jets were napping while the Hurricanes looked ready which put the Jets in a hole which they couldn’t dig out of. When will this team learn it takes a full 60 minute effort every night for it to be successful? Sadly, this group may never learn.

Powerless Power Play: Instead of dissecting the Jets man advantage woes with numbers or chalkboard stuff, let’s just use 10 adjectives to describe the Jets power play. Ghastly. Repugnant. Woeful. Insidious. Nauseating. Odious. Deplorable. Repulsive. Abhorrent. Vile. Any of those words perfectly describes the Jets when they are a man up.

Don’t Call It A Comeback: Especially when it comes to describing the Jets. When trailing after two periods, the Jets are 0-21-2 this season. John Travolta has had more success with his numerous comeback attempts than the Jets. Here’s a thought. Maybe the Jets should think about taking the lead in games. That might help them.