Jesperi Kotkaniemi scores twice, Hurricanes beat Jets 5-3
By Bob Sutton, The Associated Press on March 14, 2023.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Jesperi Kotkaniemi had two goals and an assist, Jack Drury scored his first goal of the season and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Winnipeg Jets 5-3 on Tuesday night. Jaccob Slavin and Brady Skjei, also scored for the Hurricanes, who’ve endured sudden offensive woes and the loss of a star player during the past week. Kotkaniemi’s second goal of the game was an empty-netter with four seconds left. Frederik Andersen made 21 saves just hours after the Hurricanes announced that All-Star forward Andrei Svechnikov will have surgery for a torn knee ligament and miss the rest of the season. Dylan DeMelo, Nikolaj Ehlers and Nino Niederreiter scored for the Jets, whose two-game winning streak ended. David Rittich made 20 saves. About five minutes after the Jets closed within a goal, Drury put the Hurricanes back up by two with 10:26 remaining in his first game back from the American Hockey League. Niederreiter, a former Hurricane, scored his 22nd goal with 4:22 to play to make it 4-3. SURGERY SCHEDULED Svechnikov, the team’s lone All-Star this season, was injured Saturday night against Vegas, and went to New Jersey for a game the next day. He was scratched from that game as the severity of the injury became more apparent. He’ll have reconstructive surgery Thursday on his right anterior cruciate ligament. A 22-year-old top-line forward, he’s tied for second the team with 55 points and third with 23 goals. He has been a key part of Carolina’s four consecutive playoff berths. When shown on the overhead scoreboard sitting in the press box during the second period, Svechnikov received a standing ovation. NOTES: Jets D Josh Morrissey, the team’s second-leading points producer with 67, missed his second game in a row with lower-body injury. “¦ The Jets beat the Hurricanes 4-3 in overtime in Winnipeg on Nov. 21. UP NEXT Jets: Host Boston on Thursday night. Hurricanes: At Toronto on Friday night. ___ AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports 16-15
