Bob Frid-Imagn Images
For the last couple of years, the Carolina Hurricanes have been a popular pick for breaking through and winning a Stanley Cup.
But after their all-in push fell short last spring and the departures of Jake Guentzel, Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce, many prognosticators hopped off the ship they thought was sinking and moved on to what they think are greener pastures.
Not so fast.
On Monday night, the Hurricanes wrapped up a six-game road trip that somehow started in Pittsburgh and ended in Vancouver with a 4-3 overtime win over the Canucks.
Winners of their last four, Carolina is now 6-2 for the year — sitting second only to the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference, if you go by points percentage.
Dig a little deeper, and the numbers get even more impressive. According to naturalstattrick.com, Carolina ranks first in the NHL at 5-on-5 in virtually every puck-possession category — and by a pretty wide margin. As one example, their expected goals share is a whopping 61.49 percent. Then, there’s a drop of nearly five percentage points to the second-place Washington Capitals, at 56.68 percent. Several other teams are close behind.
In 2023-24, the Hurricanes finished second in the same category, at 57.02 percent.
Is this year’s group actually, maybe, even…..better?
One thing’s for sure: the team’s new additions are working out well.
“When you lose as many guys we lost, it’s so important that the guys you bring in, fit,” said coach Rod Brind’Amour. “Which they do, but they also contribute.”
Look down Monday’s box score — those contributions are everywhere.
You’ll start with free-agent addition William Carrier opening the scoring with his first as a Hurricane. It was a fourth-line goal assisted by 21-year-old rookie Jackson Blake, who was playing in his ninth NHL game, and fourth-year Hurricane Jack Drury.
Another free-agent signing, 29-year-old Eric Robinson, lined up with Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Martin Necas on Monday. Robinson has never had more than 27 points in an NHL season but picked up his fourth point as a Hurricane on Necas’ 2-1 goal late in the first period.
Early in the second, Jack Roslovic extended the lead to 3-1 with his fourth of the year. Another inexpensive free-agent signing, he has slotted into a dream role, skating on the right wing with Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov.
A first-round pick by the Winnipeg Jets in 2015, Roslovic scored 22 goals for the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2021-22, his most productive season to date. He has four goals in his first eight games with the Hurricanes.
After dominating the first 30 minutes on Monday night, Carolina might have extended its lead even further if not for the heroics of Vancouver’s new netminder, Kevin Lankinen. He earned third-star honors off yet another impressive performance.
“It’s, kind of, highlight-reel saves,” Brind’Amour said. “It wasn’t like there was an abundance of them. But, on the 5-on-3, there was one. Shorthanded, there was one. He definitely had a heck of a game on the other end.”
On Carolina’s blueline, new arrivals Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Walker have formed a duo controlling a walloping 78.73 percent of expected goals at 5-on-5. That’s tops among Carolina’s three primary pairings and comes at a bargain cap hit of a combined $6.8 million for both of them, from the free-agent market where NHL teams will often overspend to reel in their top targets.
After moving to the Colorado Avalanche at the 2024 trade deadline, Walker went into July 1 with more buzz. But Gostisbehere appears to have rediscovered the mojo that made him a Calder Trophy runner-up when he broke into the league back in 2015-16.
That’s a big help on a Carolina team that has seen its playoff dreams snuffed out when its scoring dries up.
Running the Hurricanes’ star-studded first power play, three of Gostisbehere’s four goals in the early going have come with the man advantage. And two of his three assists have been timely dishes to set up Aho for overtime-winners.
With so many new faces in the mix, a long road trip early in the season can be a great tool to forge bonds and bring players together.
“It’s been good to spend some time with the boys,” Aho said. “Especially the new guys, because it takes a little while to get fully comfortable. We already knew that everyone were good personalities to bring in the locker room. And obviously, winning helps to to have a good mood.”
If the new-look Hurricanes are already clicking this well, opponents should be wary of what lies ahead when this team reaches its full stride.
Carolina will open a four-game homestand against the Boston Bruins on Thursday.
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