Carolina's streak reaches seven behind Jankowski's hot run
Carolina made it seven victories in a row on Saturday, beating Winnipeg 3-2 at Canada Life Centre. Mark Jankowski kept his personal scoring run alive by converting on the power play, giving him goals in six consecutive contests. The forward has six tallies through nine games this season, a sharp jump from the 11 he managed across 68 appearances a year earlier.[S1][S2][S3][S4][S5][S6]
Rod Brind'Amour credited Jankowski's all-around reliability, noting that the forward has produced since arriving in a March 2025 trade and is now capitalizing on a larger role. The coach described him as capable of contributing in many areas and said the team needs exactly that kind of versatility at the moment.[S1]
Ehlers haunts his former team in the third period
Nikolaj Ehlers broke a 2-2 tie at 6:43 of the third period, firing a slap shot from the high slot on the power play for his first goal of the season. The moment carried weight for Ehlers, who skated 10 seasons in Winnipeg from 2015 to 2025. He said returning still feels like coming home and described the reception he received there as a memory he will keep for life.[S1][S4][S5]
Winnipeg had taken the lead twice earlier. Mark Scheifele forced a turnover in the Carolina zone and beat Pyotr Kochetkov on a backhand at 4:23 of the second period, and Alex Iafallo restored the Jets' advantage at 10:59 after Adam Lowry stripped the puck from Kochetkov behind the net. Jankowski tied it at 8:19, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi evened the score again at 16:50 by redirecting a Shayne Gostisbehere shot from the point.[S1]
Special teams and goaltending shape the outcome
Scott Arniel pointed to two power-play goals conceded as the difference, saying the Winnipeg penalty kill had been performing at a high level before Saturday. He framed the night as a learning experience and noted the Jets will meet Carolina again in early November, adding that his club controlled stretches of play when it followed its structure but could not sustain that level for a full 60 minutes.[S1]
Brind'Amour acknowledged two goals that came from avoidable mistakes but praised how his group tightened up over the second half, with contributions throughout the lineup despite missing players. Kochetkov improved to 5-0-0, becoming the second Carolina goaltender to open a season with five straight wins after Frederik Andersen's 8-0-0 start in 2021-22. Carolina also won its first five road games of a season for the first time in franchise history.[S1]
