'Canes top Jets for 4th straight win
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Center Elias Lindholm scored for the first time this season as the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Winnipeg Jets 3-1 on Sunday at PNC Arena, extending their winning streak to a season-best four games.
The Hurricanes scored two power-play goals in the third period, ending a five-game homestand on a high note during a game that at times was a physical affair with bodies crashing across the ice.
Goalie Cam Ward, who was less than 10 1/2 minutes away from securing his second shutout in three games, made 28 saves.
Center Victor Rask and defenseman Noah Hanifin also scored for the Hurricanes (7-6-4).
With the score 2-1, the Jets (9-10-2) had a final good chance on a power play to pull even. The puck fluttered behind Ward with less than five minutes to play before left winger Joakim Nordstrom cleared the puck from the mouth of the net.
Then, Hanifin's power-play goal clinched the outcome with 1:43 to play.
Goalie Connor Hellebuyck stopped 37 shots for Winnipeg, which received its lone goal from center Mark Scheifele.
The Jets are 0-3 to begin a five-game road trip, and they were danger of suffering their second shutout of the season until Scheifele benefitted from an odd-man rush and scored his 11th goal of the season. He scored the winning goal in last month's opener in overtime against Carolina.
The Hurricanes had one four-game winning streak last season, and that January string came with two overtime victories. This time, they won them all in regulation.
Sunday's outcome was a bit of a strange result because of the previous 33 meetings between the teams, the road team had won 22.
Lindholm's first goal of the season came 6:45 into the game, skating in from the corner and waiting to find the right window to shoot. Defenseman Ron Hainsey picked up an assist.
Though he was without a goal in the first 16 games this season, Lindholm's scoreless stretch wasn't any longer than that because he had one of the team's two goals in the 2015-16 finale. However, he hadn't scored in his last 23 home games.
It marked only the fourth time in 17 games this season that the Hurricanes led after the first period.
Rask's team-leading eighth goal came 2:39 into the third period off a rebound. He steadied the puck with his skate before lifting it past Hellebuyck.
NOTES: Carolina's penalty-killing at 90.7 percent rated best in the NHL entering the day. ... Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice spent 14 seasons across two stints (1995-2004, 2008-12) as head coach in what's now the Hurricanes franchise. ... This marks the back end of Winnipeg's third set of games on back-to-back days this month. Those have all come on the road. ... The Jets won their fifth game this month on Nov. 15, passing the four victories they posted in all of last November. ... The Hurricanes start a three-game road trip in Canada on Tuesday night at Toronto. ... The Jets head to the fourth game in their five-game road swing Wednesday at Minnesota.