Positive Points Continued
With impressive play on either end of the ice, Hanifin has proved that he should be considered as one of the best defensemen in the league. He will completely shut down an offensive rush, and then will immediately make a great play on the other end of the ice.
It has been a thing of beauty to watch Hanifin fix up the holes in his game, and develop into the spectacular defender he already is. Hanifin is undoubtedly the best player on the team.
Other players who have can be considered positives so far, include Jeff Skinner, Brock McGinn, Trevor van Riemsdyk Justin Williams(ish) and Phillip Di Gieuseppe.
Lastly, the Hurricanes have played an effective brand of hockey. If you want the best reason to be confident in the Canes, listen to this: The Hurricanes have the best possession numbers in the NHL.
With a corsi percentage of 54, the Hurricanes lead the NHL. When a team is #1 in corsi, but not in a playoff spot, it suggests that they are extremely unlucky. Additionally, the Hurricanes are third worst in the league, in PDO.
This statistic determines how lucky or unlucky your team is. By adding up your team’s even strength shooting percentage and save percentage, you will get the PDO. Over a season, this will generally trend around 100. The Hurricanes have a PDO of 97.5. This is likely unsustainable, and the NHL’s natural parity is soon to set in. Statistically, we can expect a rebound of some sort, and the Hurricanes should have a higher PDO (and thus a better record) for the next half of the season.