The Carolina Hurricanes got off to a scorching hot start to the 21/22 season and were the last undefeated team in the league before eventually falling to the Florida Panthers. While their skeptics wondered about offseason decisions to move on from Dougie Hamilton and Alex Nedjelovic, the Hurricanes don’t seem to be missing a beat. Let’s take a closer look the Hurricanes early season results.
Grades
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Record
The Hurricanes have amassed 22 of a possible 26 points to start the season and have the early lead in the Metropolitan Division. While they had one of the lower projected point percentages in a deep division, their hot start has quickly pulled them near the top of the group in the full season projections.
Even Strength Offense
The Hurricanes 5v5 offense has started the season as a category 5 storm that has left opponents looking for cover. The Canes are 3rd in the league in 5v5 goal rate, where they are generating nearly half a goal per 60 more than projected. The goals have been earned though, with the Hurricanes 5v5 xGF/60 ranked number one in the league and sitting near their actual goal rate.
With the strong start offensively at the team level, it’s not a surprise that many of Carolina’s skaters are off to strong individual starts offensively as well. Most of their skaters are putting up 5v5 points at rates at or above their projected rates. Andrei Svechnikov, Jesper Fast and Vincent Trocheck have led the way with very hot starts. Among the forward ranks, only Teuvo Teravainen and Jesperi Kotkaniemi seem to be struggling out of the gate. The defensemen are chipping in as well, with similar trends in their offensive numbers.
Even Strength Defense
The Hurricanes have started the year third in the NHL in 5v5 GA/60. However, if there is an area for the Hurricanes to improve, this is it. Goaltending has been outstanding so far, with a return to form from offseason acquisition Frederik Andersen, and it’s masked some defensive issues early in the season. Despite their strong goals against rate, the Canes expected goals against rate is ranked near the bottom of the league and sits nearly a goal per 60 minutes higher than their actual GA/60. It’s unlikely that goaltending won’t see a dip in performance sometime this season and the Hurricanes would benefit from giving up fewer chances against when that happens.
Defensively, newcomer Ethan Bear has become a fixture on the top pair with his strong defensive impact. The Canes could use some improvement through there second and third pairs with three defenders currently ranked above the 75th percentile for on-ice xGA/60. The forward group also has some outliers. The fourth line has been stout defensively and they lead the team in defensive impacts from forwards. The top six has been much less responsible defensively, generally allowing a high rate of expected goals against.
In goal, Frederik Andersen has looked rejuvenated, starting the season with consistently strong performances. Antti Rantaa was also off to a good start before leaving his second start of the season due to injury.
Powerplay
The Hurricanes powerplay has been a strength early in the season. Similar to their even strength offense, it’s scoring at a relatively sustainable rate. The Canes rank 6th in 5v4 xGF/60 and 8th in 5v4 GF/60.
Penalty Kill
Carolina’s penalty kill has been strong to start the season. They rank 7th in both 4v5 xGA/60 and 4v5 GA/60.
Lineup Notes
The Hurricanes have a few players that are banged up at the moment, including Brett Pesce and Nino Neiderreiter. Neither are expected to miss significant time. Antti Ranta’s is out with a concussion and the timetable for his return is unclear, while Jake Gardiner remains out long term.
Up Next
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Season Projections
Check out the roster plots and player impact projections for the Hurricanes and the rest of the Metropolitan Division here and subscribe to follow more updates for the Hurricanes and from around the league throughout the season.
