The Carolina Hurricanes are six games into the season and so far Caniacs have witnessed a bit of everything.
The results have been very good so far as they have a 5-1 record and find themselves currently
in first place in the Metropolitan Division and tied for first in the Eastern Conference.
They also have a goal differential of +9, best in the East.
While the penalty kill is holding it’s own at 89.5%, good for 7th best in the league, the powerplay has been abysmal.
The team is connecting at 9.5%, good for 30th in the league. They have had trouble getting much of anything going, even with a two-man advantage.
What is the solution? That’s above your humble narrator’s pay grade.
Seth Jarvis leads the team in scoring with six goals and nine points. He set an NHL record the previous game by scoring four game-winning goals in his first five games of the season.
Sebastian Aho is right behind with eight points, (2G 6A). He has at least one point in each contest so far giving him a six game point streak.
Shayne Gostisbehere is next with seven points which ties him with Cale Makar for top scoring defenseman in the league.
Unfortunately, Gostisbehere is injured and has returned to Raleigh for treatment before the end of this long road trip.
There are several players tied with four points scored. One of them is rookie, Alexander Nikishin who also has a (plus/minus) of +5, very good for a rookie.
The experiment of using Logan Stankoven at center has gone fairly well. He has three points in his six games played and is +3. The verdict is still out though. But according to the eye test as well as stats and looking at the current roster, he seems to be the best bet for the team at second line center right now. His faceoff percentage is currently 47.1%
The goaltending situation has been good with both Fred Andersen and Brandon Bussi playing well. Andersen has a save percentage of .894 while Bussi is at .911.
Andersen certainly seems to play better taking every other game off. It is a mystery to me why the coaching staff does not employ this same strategy in the post-season.
Pyotr Kochetkov is injured and did not make the trip out West.
Speaking of injuries, Jaccob Slavin has not played since game two in Raleigh. There is no word about his status.
Nikolai Ehlers has played well but his efforts have not translated to success on the scoresheet. He has one assist in his six games.
Andrei Svechnikov is scoreless and his play on the ice warrants the result. What happened to Carolina’s highest goal scorer and arguably their most dynamic player in last year’s playoffs? Inquiring minds want to know.
All in all, the team’s results have been well earned. There is much more plus than minus and we will continue to enjoy watching to see what happens.
