Eight reasons the Carolina Hurricanes are 8-0 and the NHL’s only undefeated team
The Carolina Hurricanes have won ‘em all, a franchise-record eight games in a row, to start the 2021-22 season.
Here are eight reasons how and why they’re 8-0 and the only undefeated team in the NHL:
“Fred-die, Fred-die!”
Goalie Frederik Andersen has heard that chant at PNC Arena this season and why not? Seven starts, seven wins, a 1.29 goals-against average and .956 save percentage. That made him the NHL’s third star of the month for October.
Andersen had some injury problems last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Canes must guard against over-use of the 32-year-old goalie, who played his 400th career game Sunday against Arizona. But so far ...
Said captain Jordan Staal: “Freddie’s been unbelievable.”
Everyone stepping up
Eight Canes players have scored game-winning goals, with defenseman Brett Pesce the eighth in the 2-1 win Sunday over Arizona. That’s balance.
The roll call: Nino Niederreiter, Teuvo Teravainen, Andrei Svechnikov, Vincent Trocheck, Steven Lorentz, Tony DeAngelo, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Pesce.
“Everyone’s contributing, everyone is doing their job,” Brind’Amour said Tuesday. “That’s what you want, that’s what you hope for. It’s a long year, we know that, and you try to take it a day a time but that’s what we’re going to need if you want to be successful.”
Tony D
Losing defenseman Dougie Hamilton in free agency left a void, especially on the power play. Tony DeAngelo has helped fill it with five power-play assists and nine points in all, tied for second among NHL D-men.
DeAngelo, whose offseason signing rankled many in the Canes fan base, has said and done all the right things. His gloves-off fight Friday with Chicago’s Reese Johnson — and, yes, one of DeAngelo’s blows was a little low — had many Canes fans on their feet and chanting his name.
Another plus for Tony D? “He’s much better defensively than people give him credit for,” defenseman Ian Cole said.
And they’re off ...
Brind’Amour’s track record as a coach is highlighted by three Stanley Cup playoff appearances in his first three seasons. But each season has had a strong start.
The Canes were 4-0-1 to begin the 2018-19 season, Brind’Amour’s first, then 5-0-0 in 2019-20. The 2021 season did not begin until January because of the pandemic but the Canes bolted to a 6-1-0 start. Now 8-0.
Brind’Amour likes to keep a fast pace in training-camp practices. Whatever the reason, his formula has worked early again, allowing the Canes to pile up some points for what will be a highly competitive Metropolitan Division.
“We got good people, regardless of the record,” Brind’Amour said Tuesday. “It’s special when you know it and you feel it and guys get it.”
A handful of Svechnikov
The players call him “Svechy” and the Canes now have him under contract for eight more seasons. If there was contract pressure on him last season affecting his play, it’s dissipated as Brind’Amour might say.
Svechnikov has a team-leading seven goals and 11 points. His seven-game point streak ended Sunday but Brind’Amour credited his power forward with playing “hard and heavy all night” in the 2-1 win over the Coyotes. “A handful,” Brind’Amour said.
Keeping it special
How many times have you heard Brind’Amour say special teams decide games? Like almost every game?
They did decide Sunday’s grind of a game. Pesce scored the winner on the late power play while the Coyotes were 0-3 against the Canes’ penalty killers. “So many nights it comes down to special teams. It’s super important,” Brind’Amour said after the game.
Carolina was fourth in the NHL in power-play percentage (28.1) and fourth in penalty killing (88.9%) through Monday’s games.
Adding the right pieces
Canes owner Tom Dundon has shown the willingness to spend to the NHL salary cap to make his team competitive. For the Canes, adding forward Derek Stepan and defenseman Ian Cole as free agents has produced value early in the season with their veteran presence and their play.
Stepan, 31, has been a mentor for rookie forward Seth Jarvis, who said Sunday after his NHL debut, “He’s a guy I can ask questions to and he’ll give a straight-up answer and not sugar-coat it. That’s what you need.”
Cole, 32, has been a good counterbalance on the third D pairing with DeAngelo, who likes to join the rush and be a part of the offense.
Acing the math
Numbers, anyone? The metrics all look impressive for the Canes.
The Canes have outscored opponents 21-7 in 5-on-5 play for an NHL-best goals-for percentage (75.0), always a good gauge of a team’s play. They have the league’s best overall goal differential at plus-21, another good gauge.
Some call PDO a useful statistic. The NHL lists it as “shooting plus save percentage” in 5-on-5 play, and the Canes have the highest PDO in the league with a shooting percentage of 9.62 plus save percentage of 96.0.
The best stats? Easy. The Canes are 5-0 at home, 3-0 on the road. They’ve won ‘em all.
This story was originally published November 2, 2021 at 3:12 PM with the headline "Eight reasons the Carolina Hurricanes are 8-0 and the NHL’s only undefeated team."
