Seattle KrakenThe Hurricanes beat Chicago 9-2 on Saturday and are 14-3-2, first in the NHL with 30 points. They have scored 78 goals, the most in the league, and allowed 44. On Thursday they play Seattle in Helsinki, the first of two Global Series games in Finland.
In October we wrote that Carolina was first, shorthanded and unlucky. Seth Jarvis had not played, Jordan Staal was hurt and Taylor Hall had missed games. Carolina was 8-2-1 then. It has gone 6-1-1 since, and the luck has turned with it.
How good is Carolina at five-on-five?
The best in the league, and by most measures it is not close. Carolina has 60 per cent of the five-on-five expected goals and 59 per cent of the shot attempts, both first. It creates 3.27 expected goals per 60 minutes, the most in the NHL, takes the most shots, and allows the third-fewest chances. It has outscored opponents 56-30 at five-on-five.
In October the finishing was the one thing missing. It has caught up. Carolina has now scored 5.7 more goals than its five-on-five chances were worth, sixth in the league.
Who is driving it?
Two lines that win most of their minutes by a wide margin.
| Carolina, five-on-five, 2026-27 | Minutes | Expected goals share | Goals for-against |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carrier, Aho, Svechnikov | 178 | 66% | 12-6 |
| Ehlers, Stankoven, Blake | 103 | 67% | 10-1 |
| Hall, Stankoven, Blake | 67 | 61% | 3-1 |
| Slavin and Chatfield | 296 | 60% | 14-8 |
| Gostisbehere and Valimaki | 94 | 69% | 8-2 |
Sebastian Aho has 10 goals and 26 points, and Carolina has 62 per cent of the expected goals with him on the ice. Logan Stankoven leads the team with 11 goals. Jackson Blake is at 65 per cent and the Hurricanes have outscored teams 18-5 with him on the ice, though he has only five goals on 7.9 expected. Andrei Svechnikov has nine goals.
The defence is just as strong. Shayne Gostisbehere has 14 points and Carolina has outscored opponents 21-7 with him on the ice at five-on-five.
What happens now that the injured players are back?
That is the frightening part for the rest of the league. Seth Jarvis has played eight games and Carolina is at 65 per cent with him on the ice. Taylor Hall missed nine games with two upper-body injuries and returned last week, and his line with Stankoven and Blake is at 61 per cent. Only Staal, on injured reserve with a calf injury until at least Dec. 3, is still out.
The team that went 14-3-2 did it with Jarvis missing most of the season and Hall missing almost half of it. The lineup that plays in Helsinki is stronger than the one that built the record.
Is there a weakness?
The special teams are good rather than great. The power play converts 22.2 per cent, 15th, and creates the eighth-most chances. The penalty kill is at 85.0 per cent, seventh. Carolina wins at five-on-five so comfortably that neither has mattered yet. In a playoff series against a team with an elite power play, the power play could.
The case for patience, stated fairly
The argument for caution is that November does not decide much, and Carolina's real test is still the one we wrote about on opening week. Florida is 8-1 against Carolina in the playoffs since 2023, and Carolina's Cup came in the one spring Florida missed. No regular-season record answers that.
The other side is that this Carolina team is better than the one that won the Cup by the numbers that matter most. It has 60 per cent of the five-on-five expected goals against 56 last season, it creates more than anyone, it is finishing now, and its best players are returning rather than leaving. There is no team in the league with a better case to be favourite in November.
Our view is that Carolina is the best team in hockey, and that the Jarvis and Hall returns make it more likely the gap grows than shrinks. The only real question left for this season is the power play.
What to watch
Carolina plays Seattle in Helsinki on Thursday and again on Saturday. Seattle's penalty kill ranks 30th, so watch whether the Hurricanes' power play finally takes over a game. Every Hurricanes number is on the team stats page, and the Metropolitan race is on the standings.