The Carolina Hurricanes had their four-game winning streak snapped on Tuesday night when they lost their first divisional game of the season to the Washington Capitals. The group looked a step behind the entire night, falling 4-1 on home ice. Frederik Andersen did all he could to keep the Canes in the fight, suffering his third loss in four starts.
Nikolaj Ehlers scored the Canes' only goal, extending his point streak to five games with his third goal in five contests. Playing next to Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake, the second line has been dominating at times since being placed together. Jordan Staal will also reach another milestone, playing in his 914th game as a Hurricane to pass Glen Wesley for 2nd in franchise history.
On the Other Side: Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks went from division champions to outside of the playoffs in 12 months after a very rocky season in 2024-25. Between supposed riffs in the locker room to a never-ending injury bug, the Canucks couldn't get rolling. Their 90 points put them six short of the playoffs, though Quinn Hughes was a major bright spot, finishing 3rd for the Norris Trophy.
Several big Canucks received extensions on July 1st, with Thatcher Demko, Conor Garland, and Brock Boeser each signing on the dotted line to remain in Vancouver on multi-year agreements. The team also added Evander Kane from the Oilers, bringing some added grit with him. Dakota Joshua and Arturs Silovs were dealt to teams in the Eastern Conference as well.
The new season hasn't brought much good fortune to the Canucks so far. They've failed to find much consistency in their game, largely thanks to issues in the net. Demko and Kevin Lankinen are among the worst in the league in goals allowed per game, and their penalty kill is the worst in the NHL. Their offense has been average, sitting near the middle of the league in goals and on the power play.
Last season: The Hurricanes won both meetings a year ago. They visited Vancouver to finish their State Fair trip, returning home with two points after Sebastian Aho won the game in overtime. The Canucks were in Raleigh in January, and Dustin Tokarski shut the door. The Canes allowed just 14 shots, with Jordan Staal and Andrei Svechnikov providing the offense in a 2-0 shutout win.
Canucks to Watch
Kiefer Sherwood: After breaking out last season at 29 years old with 19 goals and 40 points in his first season as a Canuck, Sherwood has planted himself into the early Rocket race, leading the team with 11 goals. This is from the same player who broke the league record for the most hits in a season last year. He's also in contention for the "Cy Young" with just one assist to go with his goals.
Elias Pettersson: Last season was one to forget for Pettersson. Along with the off-ice drama, he was limited to 15 goals and 45 points in 64 games. There were rumors that the Canes tried to nab him while the Mikko Rantanen stuff was going on. Pettersson has looked a little better this season, tied for the team lead with 13 points, though his goal scoring hasn't quite returned, with just three goals.
Hurricanes to Watch
Jackson Blake: The sophomore slump hates to see him coming because there has been no slowing Blake. His 12 points are third on the team behind Aho and Jarvis, with his eight assists trailing only Aho. Blake has found the scoresheet in three of the last four, setting up Ehlers' goal on Tuesday. He has almost doubled his pace from last season, when he had just seven points in 16 games.
Alexander Nikishin: After a season-opening point streak, the points have slowly been trickling through for Nikishin over the last two weeks. As noted during Tuesday's broadcast, there has been some chemistry between Nikishin and Svechnikov this season, combining on goals three times, including two finished by Svechnikov.