The Carolina Hurricanes are back in Raleigh still chasing their first home win, and they draw a Vancouver Canucks team that has already turned this early season into a track meet.
That’s the headache here: the Canucks can score with anybody, and they’ve already shown the kind of chaos that makes them dangerous. Vancouver opened with a 6-5 overtime win over Edmonton on Opening Night, then got into a 9-7 loss to the Oilers a few days later.
Since then, they’ve split their last two, beating Calgary and losing to Vegas. Through those four games, they’ve piled up 19 goals, which puts them near the top of the league.
The flip side is just as obvious. Vancouver has also been leaking goals, and the numbers are ugly.
Kevin Lankinen comes in with a 6.50 GAA and an .824 save percentage. The Canucks do have some veteran presence on the back end in Filip Hronek, Jamie Oleksiak, and Luke Schenn, but the group leans heavily on younger players.
That’s part of why so many people around the league expect another long season in Vancouver, even if the team has shown a scrappy edge early.
Carolina knows this opponent can be a problem. The Hurricanes needed overtime to get past the Canucks in November, when Sebastian Aho finished off a 4-3 win in Raleigh. The trip to Vancouver in March was no easier; the Canucks led 2-1 after the first period, Carolina exploded for four goals in the second, and the Hurricanes still had to hang on for a 6-4 win.
That kind of game fits the way Carolina has played lately. The team picked up its first win last Saturday in Philadelphia, then followed it with a 6-4 victory over Montreal on Tuesday.
It wasn’t clean, especially in a wild first period that ended with the Canadiens up 3-2. But the last 40 minutes belonged to Carolina.
Aho posted another three-point night, the fourth line chipped in with Eric Robinson and Mark Jankowski each collecting a goal and an assist, Taylor Hall scored twice, and Brandon Bussi battled through a rough opening before settling in to get the win.
There’s still some uncertainty on the Hurricanes’ side. Carolina didn’t practice Wednesday, so any possible additions to the injury list beyond Seth Jarvis may not be known until the morning skate. The good news is that everyone appeared to get out of Montreal healthy.
Vancouver’s injury picture is clearer. Thatcher Demko remains out with a nagging hip injury, and the Canucks are hopeful he can return before Christmas.
They’re also without Filip Chytil, who suffered a shoulder injury in a preseason game. Chytil’s availability has been an issue for much of his career.
A few players stand out as this matchup comes into focus. Elias Pettersson looks like he might be finding his old form, with points in all four Vancouver games so far, including a three-point outing in the second meeting with Edmonton.
He shares the team lead with six points and has also been throwing his weight around, sitting near the top of the league with 19 hits. Against Carolina, he has 15 points in 14 games.
Paul Cotter has been just as productive to start his first season with the Canucks. He scored the overtime winner against Edmonton on Opening Night and is tied with Pettersson for the team lead with six points. It’s the kind of fast start he’s done before; with New Jersey in 2024, he had four goals in his first four games and went on to a career-high 16.
For Carolina, Nikolaj Ehlers has quietly started to stir. His points have come on the power play in Philadelphia and Montreal, and his setup of Aho against the Canadiens was a beauty, a backhand saucer pass through the penalty killers. He got off to a slower start last season as well, and Vancouver could be the kind of opponent that helps him pick up steam after he had a hat trick against the Canucks last year.
Then there’s Taylor Hall, whose two-goal night in Montreal was exactly what he needed after being mostly quiet through the first three games. One bounce seemed to kick-start him, and now the next question is whether he can carry that momentum forward and get more out of his linemates at 5-on-5, too.
In Other News...
Logan Stankoven Just Gave Hurricanes Fans A New Reason To Believe
Logan Stankoven kept turning a routine night into a showcase, scoring a natural hat trick as the Hurricanes rolled past the Vancouver Canucks 7-2. Carolina got contributions up and down the lineup, with KAndre Miller, Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov and Sean Walker all helping to tilt the ice in a game that felt decided long before the final horn.
The bigger takeaway for Carolina was how cleanly the special teams carried the night. The power play kept producing and the penalty-kill side found a huge lift as well, giving the Hurricanes a complete performance that should leave fans wondering whether this is the kind of game that can settle a team into a real rhythm. [Read more 🡒]
Seth Jarvis Just Took A Step Hurricanes Fans Have Waited For
Seth Jarvis has been inching his way back since offseason shoulder surgery, and Tuesday brought the clearest sign yet that the recovery is moving in the right direction. For the first time this season, the Carolina forward practiced in a standard jersey, a small but meaningful checkpoint for a player the Hurricanes have been waiting to see back in full form.
Rod Brind'Amour called it a positive development, and Jarvis said his shoulder is holding up well as he eases into contact during practice. The next step is still a ways off, though, and Carolina will keep monitoring how he responds before thinking about game action again. [Read more 🡒]