Fresh off of an 8-2 thrashing over the Boston Bruins, the Carolina Hurricanes came into this game riding a 5-game winning streak. They’ve been on a run of playing some very strong hockey, and were ready to face a Washington Capitals team that have really surprised the hockey world with a sizzling 8-2-0 start to their season.
The Hurricanes came out flying, and coasted to a 4-2 win that was really only a close game thanks to the heroics of Charlie Lindgren in the Capitals crease. The ‘Canes imposed their will and played their up-tempo, high paced style, which overwhelmed the Capitals team for most of the night. As always, there are a few key things to talk about from the game, so let’s get right into it.
Dmitry Orlov Is Good
Despite a bit of a slow start to the season, Dmitry Orlov has settled down and been arguably one of the Hurricanes’ most consistent players over the past couple of weeks. Always reliable as a defender and puck mover, his offensive contributions since joining the team have been sporadic despite the obvious talent that he possesses. Maybe this game, against his former Capitals team, could be the turning point for an offensive breakout as a Cane. In the first period, he took a drop pass from Martin Nečas and unleashed a rocket over Charlie Lindgren’s shoulder:
Glove High!
— Hurricanes On FanDuel Sports Network (@FDSN_Hurricanes) November 3, 2024
Orlov gives the @Canes the lead early! #RaiseUp pic.twitter.com/howjN7BkVT
But he wasn’t done there. In the second period, Nečas found him again — this time along the boards. Orlov wound up and uncorked an absolute cannon of a one-timer — a shot that can probably be considered unstoppable:
Dmitry Orlov with a cannon for his second of the game 💥
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 3, 2024
He's on hatty watch and gives the Canes the lead pic.twitter.com/VkFN8KcNoH
Since his arrival to the club in the summer of 2023, I’ve been begging for the Hurricanes to use him in more offensive situations, such as on the powerplay. While that hasn’t really happened, today proved that he does have an element of scoring in his game. There’s not many guys in the league who can generate the incredible velocity on their shot the way Orlov does, and it seems wise for the team to use that to their advantage more. Alas, he remains one of the premier two-way defenders in the sport, even at age 33.
Martin Necas Stays Hot
Blazing down the trail of proving all of his doubters wrong, it was yet another electric night for Marty Nečas. As mentioned above, he provided the primary assist on both of Dmitry Orlov’s goals, continuing his trend of being the pulse of pretty much everything the Hurricanes do offensively. That wasn’t all he did, though, as he also scored a highlight-reel goal in the 2nd period for good measure. The speed in his hands to drag this puck across the goal and freeze Charlie Lindgren is something to behold:
This post has been reported for abuse pic.twitter.com/lwSh1NOd2Y
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) November 3, 2024
Once again, the elite-level skill that he possesses was on full display throughout the night. The fact that he’s providing such incredible and consistent production playing on a line with Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Eric Robinson who, no disrespect to them, are fine players but nowhere near the level of Nečas offensively, may be the most impressive thing out of all. While I’d love to imagine what he could provide alongside players like Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov or Seth Jarvis, the Hurricanes have legitimate balance throughout their line-up right now – largely thanks to Nečas.
With a 3-point night, Nečas is casually sitting on 18 points through the Hurricanes’ first 10 games — an 82-game pace of 148 points. Is it sustainable? I mean, surely not, but we are witnessing this player break out and take his game to the level that most observers knew he was capable of reaching. If he stays healthy and keeps playing with this kind of confidence, I believe he’ll lead the team in scoring with relative ease and could even flirt with eclipsing 100 points. As an attacker, he’s that good. Perhaps the Hurricanes should have negotiated a deal with longer term than just 2 years, because it’s looking like he will cost them a boat load next summer.
Superb Team Defense
The Capitals came into this game red hot — they were on a 3-game winning streak in which they scored 18 goals, an offense that was firing on all cylinders. The Hurricanes, just as they have all season, were able to frustrate their opposition with pesky neutral zone play and strong possession-based hockey, and held the Capitals to just 2 goals and just 21 shots on net. While they’ve been getting a lot of credit for the surprisingly balanced scoring throughout the lineup, the defense as a whole has been equally as impressive.
Related: Shayne Gostisbehere Bringing New Dynamic to Hurricanes Blue Line
Through 10 games, the Hurricanes have allowed just 23 goals (2.33 per game) which ranks 1st across the entire NHL. They’re also ranked 1st in shot suppression, allowing an average of just 24.7 SOG per game. Combine that with a top-10 penalty killing unit and a very mobile defense corps, they are a very tricky group to break down. Of course, the team structure plays a big part in limiting opposing scoring chances, but overall they’re a group who’s strength is still their blue line — just as it has been throughout the Rod Brind’Amour era.
What’s Next for the Red-Hot Hurricanes
As of now, the Hurricanes have not lost a game in over 2 weeks, with their last loss coming on October 19th against the Blues in St. Louis. They’re currently riding a 6-game winning streak in which they’ve outscored their opponents 27-12. Next up, they’ll prepare for a couple divisional match-ups at home versus the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins, before heading out on a 3-game road trip to Colorado, Las Vegas, and their first match against the Utah Hockey Club.
