The Carolina Hurricanes didn’t get a soft landing after raising a second Stanley Cup banner. Their opening stretch came with the kind of pressure that follows a title team everywhere, and the first week made that pretty clear.
The banner night against Florida ended in a 1-0 overtime loss, but it never turned into the kind of disaster that sends alarms blaring. The game was tight, both sides were shaky, and the Panthers barely managed to squeeze it out in the final seconds of the extra period.
The next night, though, was a different story. Washington rolled into the Lenovo Center and handled the Canes decisively, jumping out early in the first period and never letting go.
That rough patch didn’t linger long. Less than 24 hours later, Carolina went to Philadelphia and got itself moving again. Shayne Gostisbehere scored on the power play in overtime to seal the first win of the season, and from there the defending champs caught fire.
The Hurricanes put together a seven-game winning streak, beating Montreal, Vancouver, Chicago, Philadelphia again, Washington in a rematch, and Winnipeg along the way. Over that run, they outscored opponents 32-15, clicked on 36 percent of their power plays, allowed just one power-play goal, and chipped in two short-handed goals.
Logan Stankoven added his first NHL hat trick against the Canucks, Mark Jankowski scored in six straight games, and Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov kept piling up points. For a stretch, the whole roster looked like it was humming.
October brought the usual grind of the State Fair road trip, and this one was no different. Carolina’s swing took them through Winnipeg, Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton, and St.
Louis, with injuries starting to bite before and during the trip. Jordan Staal was ruled out for the second game in Philadelphia after partially tearing his calf while warming up, and Taylor Hall left the home game against Washington in the first period, leaving the Canes to finish the night with just 11 forwards.
Even with those issues, the trip opened with a win in Winnipeg. Nikolaj Ehlers scored the go-ahead power-play goal in the third period, though Jankowski, who also scored against the Jets, was unavailable the following night in Calgary. That loss snapped the winning streak, as the Flames came away with a 3-2 victory.
Carolina responded in Vancouver with a big offensive night from Stankoven, Ehlers, and Nicolas Deslauriers. They then lost a shootout to Edmonton in what was the month’s most entertaining game, though that night also brought Seth Jarvis back into the mix.
The trip ended with a 4-0 shutout of St. Louis, leaving the Canes with a 3-1-1 mark over eight days.
Back home, the wins kept coming. Carolina edged Boston on Tuesday night after Sebastian Aho broke a late tie, then Pyotr Kochetkov made franchise history by winning his ninth straight start in Thursday’s 3-2 victory over Columbus. At 11-2-2 through 15 games, the Hurricanes are once again looking like the team to beat in the East.
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Hurricanes Can Finish A Sweep As Carolinas Hottest Scorer Keeps Rolling
The Hurricanes are wrapping up a three-game homestand against the Winnipeg Jets with plenty of momentum, having won three straight and 11 of their last 13 as they head into November. Carolina has been one of the leagues steadier teams through the opening stretch, while Winnipeg arrives in a rough spot after an eight-game losing streak, making this a chance for the home side to keep building on a strong early-season run.
Carolina is still working around some injury absences, with Taylor Hall out and expected to remain unavailable for a bit longer. Winnipeg is dealing with its own issues, with Josh Morrissey and Vladislav Namestnikov sidelined, which only adds to the challenge for a Jets team trying to stop the slide and for a Hurricanes group that has been getting timely scoring from all over the lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Kochetkov Is Finally Giving The Hurricanes What They Waited For
Pyotr Kochetkovs start to the 2026-27 season has been exactly the kind of stability the Hurricanes have been waiting to see from him. Through his first nine starts, he has been a steady force in net, backing Carolina to a strong opening run while posting a .919 save percentage and a 1.66 goals-against average.
What makes it even more notable is the path he took to get here. After missing most of last season while recovering from hip surgery, Kochetkov has returned looking more composed and more confident, and coaches and teammates have noticed the difference. For a team that has long believed in his talent, this stretch feels like the payoff for all the patience. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Hit A Defining Week As Early Slide Starts To Feel Serious
Winnipegs early-season stumble has been made harder by the kind of injuries that can quietly reshape a roster before it ever finds its footing. The Jets are 4-7-3, and the absences have touched both ends of the lineup, with key names missing from the blue line and forward group as they try to stop the slide from turning into something more lasting.
The road trip ahead offers little room to ease into a reset, especially with Carolina waiting as part of the schedule. Winnipeg is still trying to recover its defensive structure and transition game without one of its top blueliners, while the loss of depth up front has narrowed the options even further. For a club already looking for traction, this trip may say a lot about how long the early-season problems can be managed before they start to define the year. [Read more 🡒]