Winnipeg’s search for a win now runs into Pyotr Kochetkov and a Carolina team that has allowed just three goals across its last three games. The Jets have gone eight games without a victory, but Sunday’s challenge is more specific than ending a bad streak: they need to find enough offense against a goalie whose recent results have given the Hurricanes room to win tight games.
Carolina has been winning without a scoring rush
The Hurricanes beat St. Louis 4-0, Boston 2-1 and Columbus 3-2 in their last three games. That’s three different winning scores with the same useful foundation: keeping the opponent’s scoring down. Carolina has won eight of its last 10 games, while Winnipeg has managed one win across its last 10.
Kochetkov has been central to that recent Carolina run. He stopped 24 shots against Columbus on Thursday to improve to 9-0-0, setting a franchise record for consecutive wins to open a season. Logan Stankoven scored his team-leading ninth goal in that game, giving Carolina another concrete scoring threat alongside its goaltending story.
Across Kochetkov’s five most recent starts for the Hurricanes, he stopped 98 of 106 shots for a .925 save percentage. He allowed three goals once and no more than two in each of the other four. That five-start stretch helps explain why Winnipeg’s scoring problem deserves as much attention as the losing streak itself.
The Jets need more than another Connor goal
Kyle Connor scored his team-leading 11th goal Friday, but Winnipeg still lost 5-2 at Florida. That defeat left the Jets 0-6-2 across their eight-game winless stretch. Connor’s production offers a clear place to look for a response; it hasn’t been enough to reverse the team’s results.
The Jets scored one or two goals in five consecutive games before scoring four at Tampa Bay and two at Florida in their latest two outings. The Tampa Bay game shows they can produce more, but those last two losses also came with 11 goals allowed. Improving at one end has not consistently solved the problem at the other.
Stuart Skinner’s five most recent Winnipeg appearances underline that concern. He stopped 120 of 136 shots for a .882 save percentage. His latest outing was especially difficult: five goals allowed on 21 shots in 40 minutes at Tampa Bay. The Jets have more than an attacking challenge here; a stronger response in goal would also help keep them within reach while they work for chances against Kochetkov.
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A strong favorite and a separate total decision
DraftKings prices Carolina at -265 and Winnipeg at +215. The Hurricanes’ recent results and the contrast in goal support the favorite’s case, but the cost still matters. Carolina has won 11 of 15 games this season; flat one-unit moneyline bets on those games returned a historical profit of 1.70 units. Even a strong winning record can translate into a much smaller betting return when prices are considered.
Our shot projections put Carolina at about 32 and Winnipeg at 26. That gives the Hurricanes a projected volume advantage, adding another obstacle for a Jets team trying to get its scoring going. It also makes Skinner’s response relevant to the 6.5 total, where the Under is -130 and the Over is +110.
Carolina’s last three games and Kochetkov’s five-start sample give a low-scoring case substance. Winnipeg’s last two games, coupled with Skinner’s recent struggles, show how Carolina’s scoring could complicate it. Carolina has recently won with modest scoring totals, while Winnipeg’s defensive troubles leave room for a very different kind of game. The moneyline and total deserve separate judgments.
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