The Carolina Hurricanes are still a source of heartbreak to old-school hockey fans in Connecticut, where the team originated as the Hartford Whalers. Connecticut’s only pro sports team headed to North Carolina in 1997 and delivered the state its first (and only, to this date) major pro sports championship in 2006, when the Hurricanes defeated the Edmonton Oilers for the Stanley Cup. The team has not been particularly competitive since that Stanley Cup season, but in the 2019-20 season, the Hurricanes are looking to make a second consecutive trip to the playoffs. They are tied with Columbus for the first wild card in the Eastern Conference, with a record of 38-25-5, good for 81 points. However, Carolina has two games in hand over Columbus as well as Toronto, who also has 81 points and currently sits in third place in the Atlantic Division. If Toronto falls out of third, they would enter the wild card conversation as well. Carolina is five points behind Pittsburgh for third place in the Metropolitan Division. If the Hurricanes can make it into the postseason (and if the NHL resumes the season in time to have a postseason) you’ll want to read about their chances. For NHL futures enthusiasts, take a look at our sports betting thoughts on the Hurricanes.
NHL: Carolina Hurricanes 2019-20 Season Analysis
Carolina has been a streaky team all season long. They started the season 5-0 and had a three-game winning streak going into the coronavirus hiatus. Their season has featured five other winning streaks of three or more games — and five streaks of three or more losses. That sort of inconsistency is why Carolina is on the edge of the postseason, clinging to a wild card and tied with two other teams at 81 points. Last year, they made the postseason as a wild card and rolled all the way to the East finals, where they lost to Boston.
Offensive Analysis
Center Sebastian Aho leads the team with 38 goals, a career best, tied for sixth overall in the league with Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor. Forward Teuvo Teravainen is the team’s assist leader with 48 assists (and 63 overall points, second on the team). The team scored 2.96 goals per game a year ago, 16th in the league, but has improved that number to 3.19, good for 11th overall. The team’s power play has climbed from 20th last year (17.8%) to eighth this year (22.3%). Even the defensemen are contributing to the offense, as Jacob Slavin leads the Hurricanes in ice time (23:24 per game) and has a career best 36 points, with six goals.
Defensive Analysis
The team’s goals against average has climbed from 2.70 (eighth overall) last year to 2.84 (tied for 11th overall) this season, but some of that has to do with injuries. Dougie Hamilton had 40 points, with 14 goals, in 47 games and was in every conversation about the Norris Trophy before he broke a fibula on January 16. He could return for the postseason but remains questionable. Defenseman Brett Pesce had shoulder surgery on March 5 and would not return for the playoffs. The goaltending situation made international headlines on February 22, when Petr Mrazek (concussion) and James Reimer (lower body) were both hurt in a game in Toronto, forcing the use of emergency goaltender David Ayres. Carolina somehow won that game despite using a 42-year-old Zamboni driver (and Toronto practice goaltender) for almost half the contest, but the team had to rely on prospects until Mrazek cleared the concussion protocol and returned to the ice on March 10.
Key Numbers & Key Players
Andrei Svechnikov, just 19 years old, is having a stellar second season. He was the #2 pick overall in last year’s draft, and he scored 37 points (with 20 goals) as a rookie. In 68 games this season, he has 61 points (with 24 goals). He was the first player ever to score a lacrosse-style goal in an NHL game, doing it not just once but twice, against Calgary in October and winnipeg in December. And he’s just getting started.
Playoffs panorama and Championship Odds
Carolina has +2800 odds to win the Stanley Cup, and their inconsistency plays a key role in that number. They are an inconsistent team, but they did make the East finals last year. If you are looking for a sleeper, they have some sneaky-good talent, and one effect of this pause to the season will be to reset everyone’s momentum.
