Jets at Hurricanes
THE STORY:
The Winnipeg Jets have struggled on the road this season and that's
where they'll find themselves until Feb. 7. The Jets begin a six-game
road trip on Monday against the Southeast Division rival Carolina
Hurricanes. Claude Noel's club hasn't fared well away from Manitoba,
posting a 7-12-4 mark. The Jets' task has also gotten tougher with the
loss of leading scorer Evander Kane, who has been diagnosed with a
concussion. It is not known when or how he was injured. "It's a fairly
gray area, and you just don't know what you're dealing with. That's the
problem," Noel said. "Is it going to be a few days? Is it going to be a
few weeks? You don't know. But I'll handle that the way I've had to deal
with everything else. We have what we have." Carolina knows that
situation all too well since promising star Jeff Skinner had just
returned from a month-long absence because of a concussion. The reigning
Calder Trophy winner netted the goal in a 2-1 setback to the New York
Islanders on Saturday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TSN (Winnipeg), FS Carolina
ABOUT THE JETS (22-20-6): While Winnipeg mourns the loss of Kane, it
welcomed back defenseman Zach Bogosian during Saturday's 4-3 shootout
loss to the Florida Panthers. The blueliner had been sidelined for five
games with a lower body injury, but registered a team-high nine shots in
his return. All-Star defenseman Dustin Byfuglien skated with a
non-contact jersey in practice this weekend, but his return to game
action is unclear, Noel said.
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (17-24-9):
With the NHL's trade deadline looming, Carolina shipped left wing
Alexei Ponikarovsky to the New Jersey Devils for minor league defenseman
Joe Sova and a draft pick Friday. Considering the struggling
Hurricanes' place in the standings, they may not be done swapping
veterans for prospects. Rookie defenseman Justin Faulk earned a spot at
the NHL All-Star Weekend and will compete in the skills competition.
Faulk has averaged a rookie-best 22 minutes of ice time this season.
OVERTIME:
1. Winnipeg has won all three meetings this season against Carolina.
2.
Carolina goaltender Cam Ward has enjoyed success versus the
Jets/Thrashers, posting a 19-10-3 career mark against the franchise.