The Carolina Hurricanes have been perfect on the road to begin the 2026-27 season, and they'll look to continue that with the State Fair in town. The next five games will take the Canes on their annual visit to Western Canada, meeting Winnipeg, Calgary, Vancouver, and Edmonton, before closing things out in St. Louis. It'll be a fun bonding trip for the group.
While there will be intrigue for all five contests, there will be a few things to pay close attention to, especially against the better teams on this journey. For each stop, I've highlighted one story that I'm particularly interested in as the Canes look to keep their hot streak going. It'll be a tough road over the next eight days, but there's plenty of reason to believe that they'll be just fine.
Winnipeg: No Hellebuyck, no problem for the Jets in net?
The story of the offseason, which has lingered well into the regular season, was the trade request of Connor Hellebuyck. The former Hart winner and three-time Vezina winner hasn't joined the Jets after making his request public, and the Hurricanes are among several teams interested in acquiring him. Hellebuyck has expressed interest in rejoining the team, but the locker room doesn't seem interested.
To counter a potential Hellebuyck loss, the Jets signed Stuart Skinner to be their netminder, and they claimed Clay Stevenson off waivers from the Capitals to serve as his backup. Skinner has gotten most of the work through five games, going 3-0-2 with a respectable .906 save percentage and a 2.76 GAA. After a rough 2025-26 season, the Jets appear to be back in contention.
Of course, Skinner should be very familiar with the Hurricanes. He faced them five times last season, once with Edmonton and four times with Pittsburgh. The Canes got the better of him three times, including twice in extra time, scoring 18 times across those five games. While it's too early to know who will be in the net for the Jets, Skinner would make plenty of sense, given his history.
Calgary: Can the Canes keep their back-to-back magic rolling?
Back-to-backs are part of the game, whether we like them or not. It always seems like the Hurricanes play more than anyone else, though that isn't the case. Last season, the Canes played 15 back-to-backs, tied for the seventh-most in the NHL. Of course, we're focused on how they performed in the second half of those games.
You would expect a slight drop in play 24 hours after playing a game. The Canes went 7-7-1 in the second game of their back-to-back a year ago, allowing almost 3.50 goals per game. Their .500 point percentage was 19th out of 32 teams. This season, they've already played two back-to-backs, with this being their third set in as many weekends.
Thus far, the Hurricanes have been perfect in back-to-back situations, both coming in wins against the Flyers in Philadelphia. They're the only team with a perfect record with multiple back-to-backs played. The Flames have played one back-to-back this season, losing 6-1 to the Kraken on opening weekend. Carolina looked very good in Philadelphia. Can they bring it across the border with them?
Vancouver: New venue, same result for the Hurricanes?
The only team that the Hurricanes will face for the second time is the Canucks. Vancouver made their annual trip to Raleigh on October 8, and it was all Carolina. Andrei Svechnikov scored twice on the power play during a three-goal first period before Logan Stankoven took control. He scored a natural hat trick, burying one short-handed, on the power play, and at even strength, in a 7-2 victory.
The expectation remains the same when the team heads to Vancouver to mark the halfway point in their journey. It'll be the Canucks' first home game after a six-game trip of their own. The trip has not been very kind to them. After losing in Raleigh, they lost to both New York teams, New Jersey, and Florida in overtime, with a stop in Tampa Bay remaining before welcoming the Hurricanes.
Along with their five losses, the Canucks have been outscored 23-9 during this trip, with three of the five losses being by at least three goals. Their offense has slowed down since their hot start against the Oilers, scoring two or fewer goals in their last six games. The Canes are the better team, but they've played some weird games in Vancouver over the last few years.
Edmonton: Can anyone stop McDavid, Draisaitl, and Bouchard?
For a brief moment on Tuesday, Sebastian Aho found himself tied for the league lead in scoring. Then, the Edmonton Oilers played. No team has created a game plan to stop the Oilers' most dangerous weapons. It should come as no surprise that Connor McDavid sits atop the league in assists (14) and points (18). Evan Bouchard isn't far behind, leading all defensemen with six goals and 15 points.
That doesn't even include Leon Draisaitl (5 goals, 7 assists) or their leading goal scorer, Vasily Podkolzin (7 goals). Now, their lineup has been torn to smithereens by injuries, so the drop in production after Podkolzin is staggering. It isn't much different than the Oilers of old. Still, trying to game plan for the top of their lineup is nearly impossible.
There are holes to exploit in this Oilers team, especially on the defensive side. They're scoring a lot of goals, but they're giving up quite a few as well. Devon Levi is coming into his own in his first season as an Oiler, but their mentality seems to be to outscore their defensive shortcomings, which isn't a new problem. When you have some of the best players in the world, you can afford to do that.
St. Louis: The Hurricanes' Western Conference kryptonite?
The Canes were only swept by three teams last season. Two of them, Montreal and Vegas, the Canes defeated in the Eastern Conference Finals and the Stanley Cup Final, respectively. The third team? The St. Louis Blues. I know, I'm just as surprised as you. However, the Canes managed just one goal in two games against the Blues, including a shutout loss in St. Louis.
I remember that shutout loss being the night after their controversial loss to the Detroit Red Wings, handing them back-to-back losses for the final time last season. Jimmy Snuggerud was lethal, scoring three of St. Louis' six goals, including the late winner in Raleigh in March. I don't know if they can be classified as the Canes' "kryptonite" yet, but a poor showing to close the trip might do it.
This being the final stop of the trip could be important. Depending on how the trip begins, this game could determine if their venture was a success or a failure. Solving Joel Hofer or Jordan Binnington would be a good place to start. The Blues feature a slightly revamped lineup with the additions of Mason McTavish and Connor McMichael. It'll be a big test for the Canes to end their journey with.
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