The Canes start the final push to the playoffs.
With the trade deadline, mercifully, in the rear view mirror, the Carolina Hurricanes can now focus on the final 19 regular season games. Carolina is chasing Washington for the division lead, and will need some help down the stretch for a shot at the Metro title.
The final stretch starts with a tough test. Winnipeg, the top team in the NHL, travels to Raleigh for their fourth and final stop of a Metropolitan Division road trip.
The Jets have the best goal differential in the league, allowing the fewest goals while scoring the second-most.
Winnipeg is on a two-game winning streak, rebounding after a three-game losing streak. Before that recent bump in the road, the Jets had an 11-game winning streak. From January 22 to February 26, Winnipeg did not lose. A shutout victory over the Canes on February 4 was the seventh-straight win for the Jets.
Winger Kyle Connor is on fire right now. He is on a four-game points streak, tallying two points in each of the last three games.
Since a four-game pointless streak in late January, Connor has turned it on. He has recorded at least one point in 12 of the last 14 games, scoring seven goals and tallying 13 assists during that stretch.
Connor ranks fourth in the NHL with 33 goals and fifth with 80 points.
Linemate Mark Scheifele is tied for second in the league with 35 goals. He is also on a four-game points streak and has eight goals and 10 assists over the past 14 games.
Nikolaj Ehlers is on a three-game goal streak. With 21 goals and 35 assists this season, he is on pace for the best points total of his 10-year career.
Josh Morrissey remains one of the most productive defensemen in the league. His goal on Friday was his 10th of the season and 50th point. Morrissey has scored at least 10 goals in four straight seasons and 50 points in three consecutive seasons. These are records for the Jets/Thrashers franchise.
Connor Hellebuyck remains the lock for the Vezina Trophy. He has 37 wins in 48 starts, while leading the league in goals against average, save percentage, and shutouts.
At the deadline, Winnipeg made three deals:
- Acquired G Chris Driedger from the Florida Panthers in exchange for G Kaapo Kahkonen.
- Acquired LW Brandon Tanev from the Seattle Kraken in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick.
- Acquired D Luke Schenn from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 fourth-round pick.
There was no morning skate for the Jets, so no lineup changes are known now.
Today’s game is the first of a four-game homestand for Carolina, and the fourth game at Lenovo Center this month.
The Canes have lost three straight to the Jets and look to avoid a second-straight season sweep.
Keep an eye on how this team responds after the Mikko Rantanen saga. Rod Brind’Amour and Jordan Martinook’s comments yesterday after practice gave more insight into some of the issues with Rantanen.
Martinook said plainly, “So moving forward, I think we’ve got everybody that wants to be here, here, and we’re gonna do everything we can with the group we’ve got.”
That quote makes a lot more sense when you consider Rantanen’s quote to Sportsnet on how he decided to move on from the Canes last week.
The silver lining is the reviews of Logan Stankoven and his fit in the Carolina system.
Logan Stankoven is a damn good player & looked really good in the playoffs last year as a rookie. Almost RBA’s dream of having a clone of Seth Jarvis on the team. pic.twitter.com/EGP6fL2Oxa
— Corey Sznajder (@ShutdownLine) March 7, 2025
Stankoven’s quote after yesterday’s practice says a lot. Via Walt Ruff:
It’s a new opportunity. I’m really excited to be here and on a team that wants me.
Below were the forward lines from Saturday:
- Svechnikov-Aho-Stankoven
- Hall-Kotkaniemi-Blake
- Martinook-Staal-Jarvis
- Robinson-Jost, Jankowski-Roslovic
Based on the goaltender rotation, expect Frederik Andersen between the pipes.
Keep an eye on Dmitry Orlov’s status after missing the game on Thursday. He practiced yesterday, but Scott Morrow was recalled.
If you are attending today’s game, it is Kids Day at Lenovo Center.
It’s Kids Day in Raleigh! #NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/m9M74KHNlE
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) March 9, 2025
Also, today is Brent Burns’s 40th birthday. The Canes are giving away “beards” for the occasion:
The big man is turning the big 4-0
Celebrate Burnzie’s birthday on March 9 with a beard giveaway! Yes, a beard giveaway.
️ https://t.co/2Mv5WHTA9z pic.twitter.com/48ypDl6XbL
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) February 28, 2025
The Canes are taking care of their fans. Be sure to take advantage of the free nameplate replacement.
Free nameplate replacement
If you purchased a Rantanen jersey from the Carolina Pro Shop in store or online, bring in your jersey and proof of purchase, and we’ll replace the nameplate with the name of your choice for free until August 31.
— Carolina Pro Shop (@CarolinaProShop) March 9, 2025
Here’s how to check out the action:
- Time: 5:00 PM ET
- Location: Lenovo Center, Raleigh, NC
- TV: FanDuel Sports Network South with Mike Maniscalco, play-by-play; Tripp Tracy, color analyst; Hanna Yates, in-game reporter; Shane Willis, analyst.
- Radio: 99.9 The Fan
- Line: ML: CAR -130; PL: CAR -1.5 +200