When looking at the Carolina Hurricanes through 57 games, there are a lot of numbers that jump off the page. The first one is obviously their record. At 36-15-6, the Canes are tied for the second-most points in the league, sitting alongside the Lightning for the most in the Eastern Conference. Their eight-point lead in the Metropolitan Division is the largest of the four division leaders.
The counting stats are just the beginning. The deeper you dig, the more interesting things become. The Canes have gone through a lot this season, especially with all of the injuries they've encountered, but the group has found a way to fight through it. Here are a few of the other stats that stand out when breaking down the Canes' season thus far.
193
Let's start with an easy one. The Carolina Hurricanes have scored 193 goals this season. That's very good. It's tied for the fifth most in the NHL, with their 3.39 goals per game currently tied for sixth. Seth Jarvis is on his way to another 30-goal campaign, leading the team with 25. Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho have also reached 20. Nine players on the roster have at least 10.
The team tied a team record by scoring nine times against the Florida Panthers in January, doing so for the first time in almost 17 years. The magic number appears to be four goals. When the Canes score at least four times in a game this season, they're 24-2-0. Their only losses were their 6-4 collapse in Tampa and their New Year's Day 7-5 loss to the Canadiens.
28%
An early story for the Hurricanes was how pathetically their power play was performing. Over the first two months, the team was just 10-for-76 (13.1%), putting them at the bottom of the league. They didn't record a multi-goal game on the power play until December 6 against Nashville. They went 2-for-6 that night, and it seemingly turned things in the right direction, though they're far from perfect.
Since that win over the Predators, the Canes' power play is clicking at 28 percent (28-for-100). They've scored two or more times on the power play in eight games, including a 4-for-5 effort against the Cats during that 9-1 win. While it only has them in 14th in the league right now, it's a far cry from where they were a few months ago.
17
One of the things we boasted about during the preseason was the scoring depth that the Hurricanes possessed. At the break, there are 17 players on the roster with at least 10 points. Aho leads the way with 57, playing at a point-per-game pace. Svechnikov, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Jarvis all have at least 40, with Shayne Gostisbehere close behind with 38, leading the defense.
Only four teams in the league have more players in double digits, putting the Canes tied for fifth with several teams, including the Colorado Avalanche, the league's top team. The number is almost certain to grow, with Jesperi Kotkaniemi sitting on the verge, and Jaccob Slavin bound to get a few more points now that he's healthy.
12-3-1
Winning games is important, no matter the opponent, but some games feel a little more important than others. Those are the games within the division. The Hurricanes have played 16 of their 26 division games already, and they've won 12 of them. They've won in a variety of ways, too, whether it's a pair of shutouts over the Rangers or a trio of overtime/shootout wins against the Flyers.
Division Opponent | Record (Games Remaining) |
|---|---|
Columbus | 1-0-0 (3 remaining) |
New Jersey | 3-0-0 (1) |
New York I | 1-0-0 (2) |
New York R | 3-1-0 (0) |
Philadelphia | 3-0-0 (1) |
Pittsburgh | 0-1-0 (3) |
Washington | 1-1-1 (0) |
They have 10 division games remaining, six of which are against Columbus or Pittsburgh. The Penguins share an identical points percentage against the Metro (10-1-5, .781) and are the only team in the division to really give the Canes a hard time, beating them 5-1 in late December. With three meetings left between the division's top two teams, it should be a fun ride to the finish line.
.870 vs. .516
This final stat is really two, and it represents the team's points percentage in games started by Brandon Bussi versus those started by either Frederik Andersen or Pyotr Kochetkov. To say the difference is stark might be an understatement. Bussi is 23-3-1 in 27 games, leaving Andersen and Kochetkov at a combined 13-12-5 in the remaining 30.
To Kochetkov's credit, he was good during his short time this season, going 6-2-0. Andersen's numbers throw things off a little. This led me down a rabbit hole to see if there were any outrageous differences between how the team played in front of Bussi compared to Andersen. Truthfully, there was only one major difference that I found: goal support
When Bussi starts, the Canes average 3.81 goals per contest. The number drops by a full goal when Andersen is in the crease. For reference, they averaged 3.50 goals when Kochetkov started. It leaves a smaller margin for error for Andersen, and, unfortunately, he hasn't been able to keep things under control. His GAA is over a goal higher than Bussi's, tipping the scales further.
Without Kochetkov for the remainder of the season, the team needs Andersen to get back to his winning ways. He carried a five-game point streak into the break, and it'll be imperative that he keeps that going. It would be irresponsible to think that Bussi can keep this pace up, though he seems confident and calm enough to do it. Plus, he has a new deal to help ease his mind a little.