The Carolina Hurricanes wrapped up their six-game road trip last night, defeating the Vancouver Canucks in overtime to extend their winning streak to four games.
Carolina had split their first two games of the trip, with a back-to-back set which saw them defeat Pittsburgh, followed by a close loss to the St. Louis Blues. Then after taking both of their games in Alberta with wins over Edmonton and Calgary, Carolina followed up with a very well-rounded 4-1 win over the Seattle Kraken.
In their final game of the trip last night, the Hurricanes put together a strong first period to take a 2-1 lead through 20 minutes, before Brent Burns found Jack Roslovic with an open net to give Carolina their first multi-goal lead in the second period.
The Canucks got one back nearing the midway mark of the third period though, off a goal from Quinn Hughes. Then with only three minutes left, Pyotr Kochetkov came out of his net to challenge a rush, but after not successfully poking the puck to safety, it got back out front to Pius Suter who scored on the open net to tie the game. The game went to overtime from there, but in the extra frame, Shayne Gostisbehre put the puck to the net and Sebastian Aho was there to bury the rebound, giving the Hurricanes the extra point.
Obviously, it’s a hugely successful road trip, going 5-1-0 across the six games to now hold the second-best points percentage in the Eastern Conference. Not only did the Hurricanes get the results on paper though, but they did so in convincing fashion. Across the six-game road trip, the Hurricanes outshot their opponents by a margin of 225-158 – an average of 38-26 per game.
There were some games where Carolina really outplayed their opponent for most of the outing: Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Seattle. There were two others where they started really strong, but did take their foot off the gas a bit to let their opponent back in it, before sneaking away with the win: Calgary and Vancouver. Then there was one where they started slow, but showed some resiliency to battle back: Edmonton.
Regardless though, it’s a huge boost of confidence early in the year. On paper, Carolina took a step back this offseason, but they aren’t showing it on the ice at all. Remembering last year’s tough early-season stretch as well, this has been about as good of a start to the year as you could've hoped for.
They’ve been getting consistent scoring to this point, averaging 3.4 goals per game. Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov and Seth Jarvis are producing as expected, but Martin Necas looks like he could be poised to reach another level this season.
Meanwhile Jesperi Kotkaniemi seems like he could be finally figuring it out as a top-nine center. He’s registered six points in eight games, and while he cooled off after a similarly hot start last season, he’s looked a little more involved and consistent across the games so far this season.
Jackson Blake already looks comfortable in the NHL as well. He has two goals and four points in eight games while averaging the least ice time of any player on the team. Blake is already carrying the puck more, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him grow his role over the course of the year. Eric Robinson and William Carrier are proving to be great fits as well, while Jack Drury could be poised to take a step.
On the blue line, the Hurricanes have taken a bit of a 'defense by committee' approach, rather than really heavily relying any specific pairing. Of course, Slavin-Burns will continue to get the largest workload, but all six defenders are averaging between 14:50 and 17:40 per game at even strength.
Shayne Gostisbehere in particular continues to look like a perfect addition to Carolina’s blue line. He’s already at seven points in eight games, and adding another high-producing defender takes the pressure off the likes of Brent Burns.
In goal, the notable development from yesterday was that Frederik Andersen is dealing with an injury. Not much information was given, but Andersen didn’t dress last night, with Carolina calling up Spencer Martin.
Especially considering how good Andersen has been this season early on (holding a .941 save percentage through four games), you really hope it’s not long-term. Andersen has struggled to stay healthy and available at times over the last few years, and when he’s at his best, he can change games for Carolina.
Meanwhile, Pyotr Kochetkov has seen somewhat mixed results overall this year, posting an .894 save percentage through four games. He’s been very good at times, but has also allowed some goals you’d like to see him stop. If Andersen is out for any length of time though, Kochetkov will get a large chance to prove he’s capable of a starting job.
Through eight games though, Carolina has looked great. It’s difficult to poke at specific issues, and even though they may not have the same high-end talent as other teams, their depth seems to be more than capable of covering for it.
Carolina will be back in action on Thursday, when they host the Boston Bruins to kick off a four-game homestand.
OTHER ARTICLES FROM OCTOBER
- Canes could regress this season, but remain set up for long-term success
- Hurricanes open season with 4-1 loss to Lightning
- Hurricanes bounce back to beat Devils for first win of season
- Hurricanes split weekend back-to-back with win over Penguins, loss to Blues
- Canes sweep Alberta section of road trip with wins over Oilers and Flames
Carolina Hurricanes Blogger • 
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