Carolina Hurricanes Month in Review: October 2022

A new season has begun in Raleigh and the expectations for this team are high after an early exit in last season's playoffs. The schedule to begin the season wasn't on the Canes' side. After opening the season at home, the Canes would spend most of the month on the road moving through some teams out west. It would be a five-city trip beginning in San Jose and ending in Vancouver. There were plenty of new faces on the team, but a lot of the same guys. This is a big season for many guys, so a hot start would be crucial in a division that looks to be just as wide-open as last season. Here's my look back at the month that was for the Hurricanes and what we have to look forward to in November. 

The Month in Review Through Headlines

10/12 v. Columbus: "Starting on the Right Foot"- The Hurricanes, behind three points from Martin Necas, begin the campaign with a solid 4-1 victory over the Blue Jackets

10/14 at San Jose: "Fishy Sinks the Sharks"- Late-game heroics from Sebastian Aho start the road trip with a win as Brent Burns returns to San Jose. 

10/17 at Seattle: "Scorching in Seattle"- Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov torch the Kraken with three points each as the Canes dominate Seattle, 5-1. 

10/20 at Edmonton: "Hats off, Mr. Svechnikov"- Despite the hat trick from Andrei Svechnikov, the Hurricanes can't contain McDavid and Nugent-Hopkins as they drop their first game of the season, 6-4. 

10/22 at Calgary: "Flaming Out"- Calgary eliminates a 2-0 first-period deficit and picks up the extra point on a goal in overtime by Tyler Toffoli. 

10/24 at Vancouver: "Striking Fast to Save the Trip"- The Canes score twice in 37 seconds in the third period and hold on for a 3-2 victory to finish the road trip 3-1-1. 

10/28 v. New York (I): "Run out of the Building"- The Canes return home and are dominated by the Islanders as they score three goals in the third period to put things away.

10/29 at Philadelphia: "Feel the Burn(s)"- Martin Necas scores late in the third period to force overtime and Brent Burns finishes the comeback in overtime to win on the road, 4-3.

10/31 v. Washington: "Cooling the Capitals"- Though they dominated play against the short-handed Capitals, the Canes come back and finish the win in their first shootout of the season. 

Other Notes

• 6-2-1, 13 points in October
• Lead the division by one point over the Devils and Rangers, two points over the Flyers and Capitals
• 3rd in the league in points (three points behind both Boston and Vegas)
• 28 goals scored, T-16th in the league/3.11 goals per game, T15th in the league
• 25 goals allowed, T-8th in the league/2.78 goals allowed per game, T-7th in the league
• 17.1% PP, 24th in the league
• 79.4% PK, 16th in the league

Three Stars of the Month

Third Star- Brent Burns (2 Goals, 5 Assists, 7 Points)

It might've felt like a slow start for Burns, but he's actually been pretty productive to start the season. He has points in six of the nine games this season, including each of the last four games in October. He finished the month third in assists (5) and fourth in points (7) and leads all defensemen on the team in both categories as well as goals (2). He's had his mishaps defensively but his game has overall been good to start the year. 

Second Star- Andrei Svechnikov (8 Goals, 2 Assists, 10 Points)

This was exactly the type of start to the season Svechnikov needed to have, especially when it comes to his goal-scoring. He's far and away the team's leader in goals, sitting tied for second in the entire league and just one back of McDavid for the lead. He also picked up the first regular-season hat trick of his career in the loss to Edmonton. His ten points are second only to the player below, four of which have come on the power play, tied with Aho and Burns for the most on the team.

First Star- Martin Necas (5 Goals, 8 Assists, 13 Points)

I'm not sure anyone expected this type of start to the season from Necas. He got a point in all but one game in October and will enter the month with points in five straight, including back-to-back multi-point games. When he got three on Opening Night, I was a little surprised and was even more surprised when he kept it going. His 13 points tie him for the sixth-most in the league and his eight assists are the most on the team. He's been spectacular in his new role and the proof is in the production.

November Preview

Schedule Breakdown

14 games

6 home, 8 away

8 games v. West (including 7 straight), 6 games v. East

1 game v. Metro, 5 v. Atlantic, 2 v. Pacific, 5 v. Central

3 back-to-back sets, all three include travel

10 games v. playoff teams in 2021-22

Games to Watch

11/9 at Florida

One team the Canes struggled with all season was the Panthers. They went 0-1-2 against them in three games last season and were frustrated at every turn when the two met. While not a division game, there is still some old hatred from being adversaries in the Southeast Division back in the day. The Panthers are a little different this season without Huberdeau and Weegar, but Matthew Tkachuk has stepped in and started well with his new team. I expect this to be a physical game between very skilled teams. 

11/12 at Colorado, 11/17 v. Colorado

I'm not a huge fan of teams playing more than once so close together. Nevertheless, the Canes and Avalanche will complete their season series with two meetings in five days. Some were considering these two as the best teams in their respective conferences during the preseason. It has been a less-than-ideal start for Colorado this season, but there is still plenty of time for them. These two typically play tight games, so we should see some clinical hockey with these two opposite one another. 

11/25 at Boston

A rematch of their first-round series that went the distance, Boston is the hottest team in the league after the first month. Despite all of the injuries to some of their big stars, they have lost just once and have the best points percentage in the league. David Pastrnak is second in the league, scoring 17 points in nine games. The Canes had a lot of success against Boston in the regular season, especially in Boston, where they blew them out twice.  

11/29 at Pittsburgh

The only time the Canes play a team they are in direct competition within the Metropolitan Division won't happen until the final game of the month when they travel to Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh brought back its entire veteran core in the offseason and while they are 7th in the division after the first month, they are still right in the thick of things. The Penguins have never been a fun opponent for the Canes, or for anyone that supports the Canes.