Carolina Hurricanes Month in Review: October 2021

There were high expectations coming into the season for the Hurricanes after their third consecutive playoff appearance and a regular-season division title last season. There was some considerable roster turnover on the blue line and in the net, with the additions of defensemen Ethan Bear, Ian Cole, and Tony DeAngelo, as well as goalies Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta. Many were skeptical of the team's moves, saying that the offseason for the Canes was bad after losing Dougie Hamilton in free agency and trading Alex Nedeljkovic away for practically nothing after a Calder-worthy season. The Metropolitan Division is the best in hockey, making the competition fierce and even with all the changes made to the team, Carolina was still going to be a team in the mix to win the division and compete for a playoff spot. The expectations had been set for this team. Here's a look back at October for the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Month in Review

It's hard to play as perfectly as the Canes did in October and I say this because the Canes finished the month with a perfect 8-0-0 record, the longest winning streak to start a season in Hartford/Carolina franchise history. They are the only team remaining without a loss of any kind and join Florida and Washington as the only teams without a regulation loss. Their 16 points are second to only Florida's 17 and the Panthers played one more game than the Hurricanes did. Admittedly, the competition the Canes have played has not been the best in the league, with three of their eight wins coming against teams that combined for seven points the entire month (Montreal-4, Chicago-2, Arizona-1). Their wins did, however, include an Opening Night win against a team that's played in back-to-back conference finals and a team that has knocked them out of the playoffs twice in the last three seasons.

As a team, the Canes are at the top of the league in most categories. The team is second in goals scored (33) and goals per game (4.13). Their special team units rank in the top five, with the power play finishing fourth-best (28.1%) and the penalty kill ranking fifth-best (88.9%). The team defense has been stellar. The Canes allowed the fewest goals (12) and the fewest goals per game (1.50). The goalie duo of Andersen and Raanta also finished the month with the best save percentage in the league (.948). 

Individually, the Canes have a couple players at the top of the leaderboards as well. Both Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho opened the season on seven-game point streaks the were snapped on Halloween against the Arizona Coyotes. Svechnikov is tied for second with six other players in goals (7) and tied for eighth in points (11). Aho is just one point behind Svechnikov with ten, tying him for 12th in the league. Aho is also tied for third in the league in power play goals with three. Tony DeAngelo is tied for 11th in the league with a team-leading seven assists. Frederik Andersen is dominating the goalie rankings, leading the league in wins (7), second in goal against average (1.29), third in save percentage (.956), and is among the few goalies with a shutout this month. 

Moment of the Month- Jesperi Kotkaniemi Scores in Montreal Homecoming (10/21)

You may have heard at some point during the offseason that the Canes completed the first successful offer sheet signing in over a decade when they signed RFA Jesperi Kotkaniemi from the Montreal Canadiens. This was a big deal and saw the Canes troll the Canadiens and their fans on social media in the aftermath. In just his third game with the team, Kotkaniemi returned to Montreal for the first time to play against the team that drafted him third overall in 2018, one pick after the Canes selected Andrei Svechnikov. He was met with boos every time he touched the puck and the crowd would chant things at him while he playing. He had a pedestrian first two periods and the Canes held a 2-1 lead going into the third period. About midway through the third period, Brady Skjei took a shot from the point that Kotkaniemi got his stick on to net his first goal with the Canes in a moment that felt like it was inevitable. It was poetic justice for everything that had been said all night long from the crowd and it helped to put a dagger in Montreal as the Canes would win the game 4-1.

Honorable Mention- Steven Lorentz Outworks Rasmus Sandin to Score the Eventual Game-Winner (10/25)

Game of the Month- 3-0 W v. Boston (10/28)

As big as the Montreal game was from a storyline standpoint, this was easily the Canes biggest test of the month. The two teams hadn't met since playing in the bubble during the 2019-20 playoffs, won in five games by Boston. The Bruins have been a major problem for the Canes in the two years before the pandemic-shortened season, with the Canes winning just one game in the last two regular seasons (1-2-1 in four meetings) and being eliminated in the 2018-19 playoffs and the 2019-20 playoffs (1-8 in the two series). "The Perfection Line" is one of the best lines in the league and they have a reputation for being Canes killers. Frederik Andersen is also very familiar with the Bruins from his time with the Maple Leafs and he drew the start amid the team's perfect start. The Canes were 5-0-0 coming into the game, tied for the best start in franchise history, while the Bruins were just 3-2-0. This game was expected to be a dog fight and that's exactly what it was. The Canes were the benefactors of two great bounces on their first two goals. Tony DeAngelo netted his first of the season after it bounced off a Bruins' stick and Nino Niederreiter scored on the power play in the second after it went in off a Bruins' skate. Add an empty netter from Andrei Svechnikov and 33 saves from Andersen and the Canes improved to 6-0-0 with a hard-fought win against a quality playoff team. It was easily the most complete effort from the team in the month.

Three Stars for October

Third Star- Sebastian Aho (5 G, 5 A, 10 P in 8 G)

Aho is regarded as the team's best forward and he played like it this month. He opened the season with a seven-game point streak, highlighted by a three-point effort against Montreal (2 G, 1 A) on 10/21. He hasn't had many flashy games and I thought he was a little quiet in the first two games, but he really jumped into things as the month went on. His five goals and ten points are both second on the team for the month. It's what we've come to expect from Aho during his young career.

Second Star- Andrei Svechnikov (7 G, 4 A, 11 P in 8 G)

After signing an eight-year contract during the offseason, he needed to get started quickly and that's exactly what happened. Like Aho, he opened the season with a seven-game point streak. He scored twice and added an assist on Opening Night against the Islanders and added back-to-back multi-point games against Columbus and Toronto. He is the team leader in goals (7) and points (11). He's already well-liked by the fanbase, but this was a good way to ensure the team he was well worth the money he was given.

First Star- Frederik Andersen (7-0-0, 1.29 GAA, .956 SV%, 1 A in 7 G)

As consistent as the goaltending has been during the Canes' three-year postseason streak, it always seems to be a major question going into the season. With the additions of Andersen and Raanta, two goalies who've had considerable injury troubles, this season was no different. Frederik Andersen has done quite a bit to halt those concerns with his performance this month. He started seven of the team's eight games and has been masterful. He only allowed nine goals the entire month and has allowed one goal or fewer in his last five starts. By all accounts, what he's doing has been historic and it has benefitted the team a great amount. He's been easily the most notable addition from the offseason.

Preview for November

The Canes are scheduled to play 13 games during November, with ten of them being played on the road. The team opens the month on a three-game road trip against Chicago and both Florida teams before returning home for a back-to-back on 11/12 & 11/13. They'll then go on a west coast trip for five games, then head back east to play Philadelphia to conclude a six-game road trip. They'll play an afternoon home game against Washington and finish the month on the road against Dallas on 11/30. 

Games to Watch for November

11/6 at Florida & 11/9 at Tampa Bay

Though they are no longer division rivals after a one-year renewal of the old Southeast Division, these games should feature a lot of hostility. In a perfect world, the Canes and Panthers will face each other with the Canes still undefeated and the Panthers without a regulation loss. They are the two hottest teams to open the season, so seeing these two play this early will be a great test for both teams. The Canes will then get a couple of days to recover before playing the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions and the team that knocked Carolina out in five games in the second round last season. I'm sure there'll be no love lost between these two either. It'll be a tough test early in the month. 

11/24 at Seattle

The final game of the west coast swing for the team will feature the first-ever meeting between the Canes and the Kraken. Much like with Vegas a few years ago, there's going to be interest in any game against the league's newest franchise. Seattle features quite a few former Hurricanes with Haydn Fleury, Max McCormick, and Morgan Geekie among the faces on the Kraken's inaugural team. They haven't seen quite as much success as Vegas did, but it's still early. This isn't the type of game I'm excited for because it's two playoff teams playing each other. This is more about the nostalgia and spectacle of playing somewhere new for the first time.

11/28 v. Washington

This game is interesting because it'll be the first home game in over two weeks, it's an afternoon game, and it's against the Washington Capitals, a team that Canes fans don't like. Alex Ovechkin is in his normal goal-scoring form and is looking to break some records, which always makes for a fun game to watch. It'll be noteworthy to see how the team responds after so much travel. It's also a game against a division opponent, something that can't be said much about the team's schedule in the first two months. They only played two division games in October (10/14 against the Islanders, 10/23 against the Blue Jackets) and will only have two more before this game (11/12 & 11/26, both against the Flyers). It's important to get these early-season division wins since they aren't getting many opportunities.