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Jets hit the road without Kane to battle Hurricanes

Jan 23, 2012 - 3:51 PM (Sports Network) - The Winnipeg Jets have already had a rough January and now the club will begin a six-game road trip tonight without its leading goal- scorer.

The Jets will try to overcome the loss of Evander Kane and a 7-12-4 road record when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes tonight at RBC Center.

Kane suffered a head injury in Thursday's 4-1 win over Buffalo and was not available on Saturday, when the Jets capped a brief two-game homestand with a shootout loss against Florida.

Kane was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2009 draft when the Winnipeg franchise was still located in Atlanta. The 20-year-old is leading the Jets with 18 goals this season and is second on the team with 31 points. There is no timetable for his return to action, but Kane is not expected to play in either of Winnipeg's final two games before this weekend's All-Star break.

The Jets are just 3-6-1 in 10 games this month and they enter tonight three points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Winnipeg was dealt a 4-3 setback by the Panthers on Saturday, as Mikael Samuelsson scored in the seventh round of the shootout to give Florida the extra point.

Nik Antropov scored twice and Alex Burmistrov added the other Jets goal, while Ondrej Pavelec stopped 20-of-23 shots.

The Jets have lost four of their last six road games and they'll visit the New York Rangers tomorrow in their final game before the All-Star break.

The Hurricanes, who are tied for the last seed in the East, have lost three of their last four games and were dealt an overtime loss Saturday on Long Island. John Tavares netted both goals for the New York Islanders, as they posted a 2-1 decision at Nassau Coliseum. Tavares notched the winning goal at 3:58 of the extra session.

Jeff Skinner scored for the Hurricanes and Cam Ward played well in goal despite the loss, stopping 38-of-40 shots.

"I thought the guys battled hard and we played well tonight," Hurricanes head coach Kirk Muller said.

Carolina has won its last two home games and is 12-11-3 in Raleigh this season compared to a 5-13-6 record on the road. The Hurricanes are playing their final game before the break tonight and will next play on Jan. 31, when they host the Islanders.

Winnipeg has won the first three of six scheduled meetings against the Hurricanes this season and the Jets/Thrashers franchise has won four of the last five encounters in this series.