Welcome to Carolina: Hurricanes newest additions score in home win over Winnipeg Jets
It didn’t take long for the Carolina Hurricanes’ newbies to make an impact.
One game, in fact.
Mark Jankowski scored twice at even strength and Logan Stankoven had a power-play goal Sunday, backing up some sparkling goaltending by Frederik Andersen in the Canes’ 4-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets at the Lenovo Center.
Jankowski was a late addition Friday, the deal with the Nashville Predators made about five minutes before the 3 p.m. trade deadline, Canes general manager Eric Tulsky said Sunday. Jankowski, in turn, said he did not learn of the trade until two hours after the deadline.
“I was a little shocked at first,” he said, smiling. “I was at my apartment hanging out with a couple of buddies, then I got the call.”
Jankowski’s acquisition Friday was generally viewed as the addition of a depth forward in preparing for the Canes’ Stanley Cup playoff run. He came to Carolina having played 41 games this season for the Preds, with four goals and five assists.
It was Stankoven who was part of the biggest headlines Friday, traded by the Dallas Stars as part of the Mikko Rantanen deal.
But Jankowski’s two goals in the first two periods Sunday matched Rantanen’s 13-game total with the Canes, and he had other scoring chances. Wearing No. 77, the 6-foot-4, 212-pound forward was noticeable as the Canes (38-22-4) won their fourth in a row.
Jankowski, named the game’s first star, made the most of his nine minutes of playing time and was used on the power play and the penalty kill.
“Being able to contribute in that fashion is a great way to start, for them,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said of the two forwards. “It obviously helped us win tonight, but they can just relax and go about their business.”
Stankoven, who played almost 16 minutes, scored in the third period and Seth Jarvis had a late empty-net goal.
“It was awesome,” Stankoven said of his first game. “I feel personally I can definitely be better, but it will take a few games to get used to the systems and the way this team plays. It was exciting, a fun game, and Winnipeg not an easy team to beat.”
Andersen was dialed in from the start in outdueling the Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck. His glove save on a Kyle Connor shot in the third period the best of his 20 stops, but he had other high-quality saves against the best team in the Western Conference.
Andersen also got some hustling help from forward Taylor Hall in the final minute of the second. After Andersen made a stop to his left in the crease, Hall crouched down to protect the far post and stopped a shot — an unofficial save but a big one.
The Jets (44-17-4) picked up goals from Alex Iafallo and Adam Lowry late in regulation, the second after an Andersen turnover.
With defenseman Dmitry Orlov still slowed by an injury, Scott Morrow was in the lineup Sunday. Recalled from the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, Morrow earned his first NHL point on the first Jankowski goal.
Grabbing the puck in the Canes zone, Morrow made a sharp pass up the right wing to Jankowski, who had gotten behind defenseman Logan Stanley near the Winnipeg blue line. Jankowski beat Hellebuyck with a rising shot to the glove side — his fifth goal of the season.
His second came when he went to the front of the net as Jack Roslovic centered the puck. The puck went off Jankowski’s skate and hit the right post, but he used his big frame to outmuscle Brandon Tanev and Stanley and punch the puck in.
The Jets tried to body up on the Canes in the opening period and be uber physical all over the ice with their checking. Vladislav Namestnikov put a high hit on Sebastian Aho and Mason Appleton did the same on the Canes’ Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
Both drew penalties and time in the box — Appleton for a double minor and four minutes.
The Canes did not score on the ensuing power plays but broke through in the third period on Stankoven’s goal. Only 5-8, Stankoven likes patrolling in front of the net and scored on the redirection of a Shayne Gostisbehere shot for the 3-0 lead.
This story was originally published March 9, 2025 at 7:48 PM with the headline "Welcome to Carolina: Hurricanes newest additions score in home win over Winnipeg Jets."
