5 Carolina Hurricanes players who must bring their A-Game to claim the lead in the Metropolitan

Andrei Svechnikov needs the puck on his stick in clutch situations

Andrei Sevechnikov hasn’t played since January 19th, but it appears he will return to the Hurricanes sooner than later. His injuries will prevent him from snagging a career-high in points, as he has only appeared in 29 games this season. But when he’s healthy, there are few players who have been as dominant in 2023-24. 

Through 29 games, Svechnikov has 30 points, which if he returns quickly and remains healthy, it puts him on pace for 64 points, not far under his single-season high of 69 he scored in 2021-22. But let’s look beyond the point totals themselves and instead check out the way he performed in clutch situations.

Also through 29 games, Svechnikov also has six game-winning goals, and if you do the math, that’s a game-winner roughly every five contests. Like Aho, he’s also putting up exceptional numbers when Carolina is on the power play, with 14 of his 30 points coming on the man advantage. 

When he returns, the Hurricanes must find Svechnikov often and his stellar play so far this season needs to pick up where he left off. This isn’t to say he’s not allowed to have some rust early on, but the sooner he regains his form, the better.