Carolina’s franchise-record 11-game winning streak can be attributed to a handful of things. Jesperi Kotkɑniem, Paul Stastny, and Stefan Noesen have all been noticeable. Depth scoring cannot be overlooked. A power play that has been a liability this season improved to passable at .23% (9/39) during the streak. Penalty killers have been successful .89% of the time (35/39). I haven’t even mentioned Pyotr Kochetkov‘s or Antti Raanta‘s back-to-back shutouts.
“I don’t think you can pinpoint one thing,” head coach Rod Brind’Amour said while talking to Hanna Yates following practice on Saturday. “That’s the point. You want to be able to say that everything is going pretty well. It doesn’t have to be great. You just want everything to be solid. That’s really what’s happening here.”
“We just have to play our game,” is a typical response from Brind’Amour when addressing the media after a Canes loss. Rod hasn’t and would never blame a loss on a single player. Hockey is a team sport and a loss should be shared by the entire team. Winning is usually a bit different. If Jaccob Slavin scores an overtime goal, it’s pretty obvious who won the game. – Here’s the question. Who do you contribute a winning steak to?
“We’ve had contributions from everybody,” Brind’Amour said. “There hasn’t been one guy. – We have had everyone step up and just play well and that’s what you need.” Carolina has outscored their opponents 40 to 21 through the eleven-game streak.
It’s difficult to argue that goalies Pyotr Kochetkov and Antti Raanta don’t have a large role in their team’s success. Kochetkov has a .936 save percentage, stopping 144 of the 153 shots he’s faced. Raanta stopped 117 of the 129 shots he faced for a .917 save percentage.
“What’s been great about it is we haven’t made them work a ton,” Brind’Amour said. “When they’ve been called upon they’ve made the big saves. It keeps your game rolling. You don’t have to chase the game. You don’t have to worry about a play you didn’t make. – It builds a lot of confidence in the group.”
Each netminder earned their way into franchise history. Kochetkov played 151:26 without allowing a goal breaking the franchise record for Rockies. His shutout streak ranks 7th all-time in franchise history. Not to be outdone Raanta played 163:53 without allowing a goal. Antti’s streak ranks third in franchise history.
Longest shutout streak in Hurricanes history: Trevor Kidd: 219:21 (1997-98) Kevin Weekes: 183:16 (2003-04) Antti Raanta: 163:53 (2022-23) Arturs Irbe: 156:47 (1998-99) Kevin Weekes: 155:47 (2002-03) Mike Liut: 151:34 (1986-87) Pyotr Kochetkov 151:26 (2022-23) — The Canes Stats Brand™ (@CanesStats) January 1, 2023
Carolina has been playing their game. “If the effort is there and their compete level is there you give yourself a chance to win,” Brind’Amour said. “There are going to be bad calls. There’s going to be a great play by the other team, the glove, bad bounces. All these things are going to happen that you just can’t control. But over time if you have the mindset to come in and work to give yourself that chance. You’ll have a chance to do what we are doing right now.”
It comes down to effort. The Carolina Hurricanes have been able to collect eleven wins in a row because every member of the lineup is putting in the effort. With 9 points each, Jordan Staal and Stefan Noesen have led the Hurricanes through the streak. Noesen is also tied with Derek Stepan with a 7 +/-. Offensive defenseman Brent Burns leads the team during the streak with 5 power-play points.
You can find reasons why almost every member of the roster deserves credit for the team’s win streak. That’s the critical part. Brind’Amour said it perfectly. “There hasn’t been one guy.” Every member of the Carolina Hurricanes deserves a piece of the pie.
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