We've completed the first month of the season, and it's safe to say that this Carolina Hurricanes team is pretty good. The group collected 14 of 20 possible points in 10 games during October, getting off to a perfect 5-0-0 start before running into a few very good teams, though namely the Vegas Golden Knights.
With the first month behind us, it's time to look within ourselves and do some reflecting. What were some of the biggest stories of the month? What were some of the most memorable moments? Who were the team's three stars for the month? All of those questions are about to be answered as we highlight some of the best and brightest from October.
Biggest Stories of October for the Hurricanes
The Injury Plague: By the time the Hurricanes made it out of Denver, it was no longer an injury bug. The team had been infected with something far worse at the rate everyone was dropping. The Canes' 7-3-0 record is commendable when considering the sheer number of players who were injured throughout the month.
Pyotr Kochetkov was hurt before the season began. Jaccob Slavin was hurt against Philadelphia, preventing him from traveling with the team. Shayne Gostisbehere left the Los Angeles game early. K'Andre Miller was hurt before the Colorado game. Eric Robinson and William Carrier were hurt during the Colorado game. Gostisbehere returned against Vegas at home, but left after the first period.
In their place, the Hurricanes called upon Mike Reilly, Bradly Nadeau, and three rookie defensemen to plug the holes. Everyone got playing time, and everyone impressed. Players we never anticipated to see in various situations were thrown right into the fire. All in all, it led to a successful first month for the team.
A Fairly Good Road Trip: When the NC State Fair comes rolling into the town, the Hurricanes go wheels up. This year, it took them to California, Las Vegas, Denver, and Dallas for six games over two weeks, getting many of their Western Conference road games out of the way early in the season. All things considered, it's hard to be mad about the outcome.
The Canes completed the trip at 4-2-0, sweeping their way through California before dropping two of their next three upon leaving. It was at the turn between Los Angeles and Vegas that things fell apart for the Canes, so the slight dip was expected. Still, it's hard to be mad at the efforts the team had without their full arsenal.
Paging, Mr. Svechnikov: After an excellent postseason, leading the team in goals, most expected Andrei Svechnikov to carry it into the regular season. Instead, he looked like a shell of his former self. Starting the season on the second line, he was swiftly demoted to the fourth line, where he still failed to make an impact.
Svechnikov was scoreless through the team's first eight contests, but things appear to be trending in the right direction. He finally found the scoresheet on Tuesday against Vegas, striking on the power play early in the contest. Svechnikov followed it up with a goal and an assist against the Islanders on Thursday. Maybe he's back, though it's something to watch as we head into November.
The Not-So-Powerful Man Advantage: Along with the absence of one of its stars, it was also a very slow month for the power play, which only struck three times in 31 attempts. They're currently the owners of the worst power play in the league, operating a touch under 10 percent. Their goals have been very spread out, with K'Andre Miller, Seth Jarvis, and Andrei Svechnikov providing the power.
One of the big issues, especially at the end of the month, was the lack of chances the Canes received. Over their final two games, the Canes had just 2:02 of power play time in two attempts. Their 31 attempts are tied for 7th-fewest, while their 39 times short-handed are tied for the 8th-most. It put a lot of stress on a penalty kill operating without some of its biggest killers.
Best Moment: Alexander Nikishin strikes for the first time
There was no shortage of incredible moments in October, especially with the number of new faces in the lineup. Charles Alexis Legault, Joel Nystrom, and Brandon Bussi made their NHL debuts. Bussi earned his first win in his first start and picked up his first NHL point on Thursday. Bradly Nadeau scored his first NHL goal on Thursday, but there's another first that wins this honor.
Alexander Nikishin's first NHL goal had a little bit of everything. His reaction was priceless. His teammates were almost as excited as him. However, what drives this moment home is who gratifying it must've been for the Caniacs watching at home. After years of waiting for this day to come, we finally got to see it, albeit deep into the night on the east coast. That night in Anaheim, we all won.
Best Game: The Whalers and Nordiques turn back the clock
There are a few directions you can go with this game, but few games were more entertaining to watch than the clash between the Hurricanes and the Avalanche on October 23rd. There was already plenty of intrigue, with Martin Necas, Jack Drury, and Brent Burns each facing the Hurricanes for the first time as former Canes. Add some throwback jerseys, and we were in for a party.
The night took an interesting turn before the puck dropped, with Miller's injury pre-game forcing Joel Nystrom into the fold. Facing the reigning 3rd star of the week, the Canes came out on fire, scoring four times in the first period to chase Scott Wedgewood. However, the night would unravel with unfortunate injuries to Carrier and Robinson, forcing the Canes to finish the night very short-handed.
The Avalanche clawed their way back, erasing a 4-1 deficit to tie the game in the third and force overtime. Honestly, I would've been satisfied with a point, given the circumstances, but the Canes refused to give up. In the shootout, Seth Jarvis set the tone with a beautiful goal, and Frederik Andersen, who made 44 stops in 65 minutes, shut down all three shooters to win the game, 5-4.
Three Stars of October
3rd Star: The goalie position is looked at as a spot of concern, and it got worse with Kochetkov hurt before the season began. Brandon Bussi wasn't supposed to be the team's third goalie. Cayden Primeau was, but, with waivers necessary to get him to Chicago, the Canes claimed Bussi anticipating that Primeau would be snatched. When the Maple Leafs claimed him, no one was all that surprised.
Bussi hadn't played in an NHL game. However, with the team staring down a six-game road trip, Bussi's number would likely be called. Better yet, it was called in the first game of the trip in San Jose, where he proceeded to make 16 stops in a 5-1 victory in his debut. In four starts in October, Bussi went 3-1-0 with a .916 save percentage, a 2.25 GAA, and an assist. Not bad for a third-stringer.
2nd Star: It might not have always felt like it, but Sebastian Aho is off to a very good start. In fact, he flirted with franchise history to begin the season. Aho posted points in the team's first nine games, marking the third-longest season-opening point streak in franchise history, behind himself (12 in 2018-19) and Ron Francis (11 in 1984-85). His streak was snapped on Thursday against the Islanders.
The best word to describe his start is steady. He rarely took over a game, posting just two multi-point performances during his streak, but he never needed to. The team's depth was incredible throughout the month. Still, Aho finished tied for the team lead in points (11), first in assists (7), and tied for second in goals (4).
1st Star: If Aho was steady, Seth Jarvis was rolling to start the season. For seven games, Jarvis matched Aho's point streak before tailing off in the final three games. Still, he finished October three goals clear for the team lead (7) and tied with Aho in points (11). He also scored one of the team's three goals on the power play and one more short-handed.
Jarvis's start also came with a little history, becoming the first player in NHL history to score the game-winning goal in four of his team's first five games, aided by a pair of overtime goals. There's a small amount of concern about his leaving the Islanders game after blocking a shot, so, hopefully, that doesn't bring his early-season push to a screeching halt.