After three weeks without NHL hockey, it’s finally back. More importantly, Carolina Hurricanes hockey is back. The Hurricanes have 25 games remaining in their regular season schedule before the start of the 2026 NHL Playoffs. Before their first game back on Thursday night (Feb. 26) against the Tampa Bay Lightning, which three players should fans watch as we begin the sprint to the playoffs?
Brandon Bussi
After a stellar first 27 starts to begin his NHL career, all eyes will be on Brandon Bussi as he looks to keep the bus rolling after the Winter Olympic break. Currently, he has a 23-3-1 record with a 2.16 goals-against average (GAA) and a .908 save percentage (SV%). Heading into the break, he carried a seven-game winning streak with a .921 SV% and a 1.71 GAA. Out of those seven wins, three of them came at the start of February as he started three consecutive games between Feb. 1 (versus the Los Angeles Kings) and Feb. 5 (against the New York Rangers).
The win against the Rangers was his second career shutout. A nice bow to wrap up 27 starts in his career with 23 wins. Bussi is second in the NHL in GAA, only trailing Andrei Vasilevskiy. If he can manage between 13 and 15 starts in the next 25 games, there is a solid chance he could reach 30 wins. That would be a nice way to wrap up a regular season for Bussi, who signed a three-year extension during the Olympic break.
Related: Hurricanes Secure Goaltending Position With Brandon Bussi Extension
After his first 27 starts to start his career, the story continues for Bussi, as he will probably start against the Lightning on Thursday night as he looks for win number 24 of the season.
Jaccob Slavin
While he has only played 17 games this season due to two separate injuries, it’s good to see Jaccob Slavin doing Jaccob Slavin things. He has three assists and a plus-9 in the limited games for the Hurricanes this season. However, that did not slow him down as he won a gold medal for USA Hockey on Sunday, Feb. 22, after defeating Canada 2-1 in overtime. What could help Slavin over the next 25 games was playing intense hockey at the Milano-Cortina Olympics to get back into the flow of things.
Furthermore, with him feeling what it means to win something like the gold medal, it’ll be a driving force for him to help the Hurricanes win their second Stanley Cup in franchise history. Upon his return to Raleigh, he stated about carrying that momentum of the gold into the rest of the season, “It was such an amazing group of guys that we won that with. There’s a lot of happiness to be had in that, but at the same time, it makes you taste victory. Now it’s like, I want to come back here and do it with these guys, the Canes, and be able to win a Cup with them – the guys you battle with all year long.”
Now that he is a gold medal-winning Olympian, Slavin wants to translate that into a parade in Raleigh for the Hurricanes. He is currently averaging 20:12 of time on ice so far this season. However, expect that go up as the rest of the season progresses and when the playoffs begin. He will be on the top defensive pairing again for Tim Gleason’s blue line, and the top penalty kill unit, like always.
Seth Jarvis
Last but not least, after being left off Team Canada’s roster initially, Seth Jarvis found his way to Milan and came back to Raleigh with a silver medal. While it’s not gold, still being called an Olympian and a medalist for that matter, is something to be proud of. Like Slavin, Jarvis will let that help fuel him to lead the charge to bring the Stanley Cup to Raleigh for the first time since 2006.
Related: Seth Jarvis’ Early-Season Impact Will Be a Catalyst for Hurricanes’ Success
Jarvis is first in goals (25), while being sixth in assists (18) and tied for third in points (43). While he has only played 49 of the possible 57 games this season, there is still a chance he could score 40 goals. He only needs 15 more in the next 25 to reach that milestone. He will certainly pass his career high of 33, which he set in 2023-24. Jarvis will no doubt lead the team in goals for the season, but for him to notch 40 goals would be phenomenal to see, especially with him missing eight games due to an upper-body injury. Expect Jarvis to be coming out flying in the Hurricanes’ first game back since the Winter Olympics concluded on Sunday.
The Hurricanes sit first in the Metropolitan Division with 78 points, eight ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins. They’re also tied for first in the Eastern Conference with the Lightning, who they’ll play in the first game back. That will be must-watch TV as the number one seed in the conference will be up for grabs. As long as the Hurricanes can stay consistent, stay healthy, and keep playing their style of hockey, the next 25 games will go in a flash, and before we know it, it’ll be playoff hockey time.
