Aho pair carries Carolina

Sebastian Aho scored two goals off the skates of Buffalo defensemen, and the Carolina Hurricanes held on to beat the Sabres, 4-3, last night, spoiling Jeff Skinner’s return to Raleigh, N.C.

Micheal Ferland had a deflected goal and two assists, Justin Williams also scored and Teuvo Teravainen added two assists. The Hurricanes scored three goals in 7:27 of the second period and have won 5-of-6 for the first time this season to move within five points of a playoff spot.

Skinner scored his 30th goal in his first game against Carolina since he was traded to the Sabres. Jason Pominville also scored and Kyle Okposo pulled Buffalo within one with a deflected goal of his own with 3:12 left.

The Sabres have lost 5-of-7, going 2-4-1 in that stretch. They had Jack Eichel back in the lineup after the center with a teambest 49 points missed three games (upper-body injury).

Jets 4, Red Wings 2 — Blake Wheeler had a goal and an assist, Kyle Connor had a three-point night (goal, two assists) and host Winnipeg beat Detroit.

Elsewhere in the NHL — The Tampa Bay Lightning acquired defenseman Jan Rutta and a 2019 seventhround pick from Chicago in exchange for defenseman Slater Koekkoek and a fifthround selection . ...

The Arizona Coyotes acquired center Jordan Weal from the Philadelphia Flyers for a minor leaguer and a draft pick. Weal has three goals and nine points in 28 games for the Flyers this season. In parts of four seasons, Weal has 19 goals and 42 points in 124 games . ...

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Casey DeSmith’s impressive play has earned him a three-year contract extension. The deal begins in the 2019-2020 season and carries an average annual value of $1.25 million.

The 27-year-old DeSmith is 12-7-4 with a 2.47 goalsagainst average.