While you can't technically split an 82-game schedule into perfect quarters, the Carolina Hurricanes have just passed the quarter mark in their season after finishing their road trip last week. The team is off to another excellent start, which is incredible, given the circumstances. Fighting through a considerable amount of adversity, the Canes are on a great trajectory.
To celebrate the first quarter of the season, I wanted to look at some of the numbers that truly stand out for the Hurricanes and highlight the players that made this start possible. The numbers paint a positive picture while also looking at areas the Hurricanes need to improve. It has been a good start, but it has been far from perfect.
The Hurricanes' first quarter(ish) by the numbers
24: The Hurricanes have used 24 skaters this season, not including their three goalies. Injuries have battered the team over the first month and a half, with the team already dressing 10 different defensemen. For reference, the Canes used 32 skaters a season ago and 29 the season prior. While we'll inevitably see more, I'm hoping to see that number slowly increase as the team gets healthier.
.682: Despite their injuries, the Hurricanes own the most points (30) and the best points percentage in the Eastern Conference. Both numbers are tied for second in the league with the Dallas Stars and trail only the Colorado Avalanche. While the Canes sit atop the Metropolitan Division, it's not a comfortable seat. Only six points separate the Canes and the Rangers, who sit in last.
3.50: There hasn't much struggling for offense with the Hurricanes thus far. Their 77 goals and 3.50 goals per game are each third in the league, trailing both Colorado and Anaheim in each respect. The Canes have been held to two goals or fewer five times, losing on all five occasions (0-5-0). When they score three or more goals, they're 14-1-2.
14.29%: One area of their game that needs to be better is their power play. The Canes are clicking at just over 14 percent (9-for-63, 29th). They've yet to score multiple goals on the man advantage in a game this season, and I have some suggestions to change that. The penalty kill hasn't been its usual self either, killing only 78.6 percent of their chances, which is good for 22nd.
.887: As one of the league's best shot-suppression teams in the league (564 shots allowed, 6th-fewest), it's usually pretty glaring when the puck goes into the net. Their collective .887 save percentage is on par with what they finished last season with. Pyotr Kochetkov leads the way with a .926 save percentage in four starts, while Brandon Bussi is at .897, and Frederik Andersen's is .881.
Team MVP at the quarter mark
5. Sean Walker
With the devastation of the Canes' blue line this season due to injuries, Sean Walker has been thrust into spots we didn't expect to see him in. He has become the team's every man at all strengths. He's one of the most utilized players on the penalty kill. He has seen time on the second power play unit. He's playing 23:23 per night, 31 seconds more than any other skater.
While Walker is third amongst the defenders in scoring (8), behind Shayne Gostisbehere (14) and Miller (10), he's first in goals (4). There was a stretch of games when it felt like he wouldn't stop putting the puck in the net with his silent wrister. His work hasn't always been consistent, though he deserves a lot of appreciation for what he has done for this short-handed defense.
4. Jackson Blake
The sophomore slump hates to see Jackson Blake coming. After signing a big extension this summer, there were going to be massive expectations for his second full season in the NHL, even before his pay increase kicks in next season. Thus far, there has been little disappointment in how Blake has carried himself through 22 games.
Blake is in the top five in goals (6), assists (9), and points (15), sitting third in the scoring. He's had a few games when it felt as if he's truly taken them over. Blake was one of the few reasons the Canes snagged a point in Minnesota last week, notching the second multi-goal game of his career. He has been a man possessed at times, signaling the team made the right decision by extending him.
3. Jordan Staal
Never the flashiest player on the ice, it's hard to outwork the Canes' checking line, anchored by their captain. If you thought Jordan Staal would be tied for third in goals at this point in the season, you're a liar. Nevertheless, here we are. Staal has scored his goals in bunches, with a pair of multi-goal games in Los Angeles in Winnipeg. He's on pace for his first 20-goal season in a decade.
It has been a season full of milestones for the captain. He notched his 300th career goal with the opening tally in Los Angeles, scoring 12 seconds into set the fastest goal to start a road game in team history. He also passed his brother for the most games in Hurricanes history before moving into second in organizational history soon after.
2. Seth Jarvis
The top two names shouldn't surprise anyone. Seth Jarvis has done it in almost every situation imaginable this season. His 11 goals pace the team, three more than his closest teammate. He's tied for second in the league in short-handed (2) and game-winning goals (4). He leads the team in goals at even strength (8), and he's tied for the most even strength points (15).
The only knock against Jarvis right now is that his pace has slowed considerably as November has rolled along. He scored ten times in the first 15 games before adding just one over the last seven. Still, he's on pace to crack 40 goals, something we haven't seen from a Hurricane in a long time. With competition for the Olympics growing even tougher, Jarvis is right in the thick of it.
1. Sebastian Aho
Your best players need to be your best players night in and night out. While there are a few nights when he's not at his best, Sebastian Aho has been the team's most consistent player through 22 games. He opened the season on a nine-game point streak, and, even on nights when things aren't going his way, Aho is finding a way to hit the scoresheet.
In fact, Aho has recorded at least one point in 16 of 22 games this season. He's yet to have a truly game-stealing performance, recording just five two-point games. Even with the struggling power play, Aho has scored or set up five of the team's eight markers, while adding a short-handed assist as well. He's clicking at nearly a point-per-game, threatening for another 80-point campaign.