Over a month into the NHL season, the league is filled with tight races for the top of the division. However, the defending Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes have reigned supreme over the Metropolitan Division once again after a dominant 14-3-2 start, becoming the first team in the league to reach 30 standings points.
The Canes’ strong start to the year can’t be boiled down to one thing; they’ve built arguably the most well-rounded squad on both ends of the ice. Carolina leads the league in time spent in the offensive zone, delivering relentless puck pressure on opposing defenses. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Pyotr Kochetkov has held a top five save percentage in the league, stifling the few chances that come around.
Sebastian Aho has picked up from last season as one of the most reliable centers in the league, anchoring the top line with 10 goals and 16 assists. Paired with Andrei Svechnikov, who’s continued his role as a steady scoring threat with nine goals and nine assists.
However, in recent games the Hurricanes have made more use of the second line with Nikolaj Ehlers, Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake. Stankoven leads the team with 11 goals, while Ehlers and Blake have provided 11 and 14 assists, respectively. That kind of depth makes Carolina a daunting task and has been pivotal to their success.
Not to mention, the Canes are doing all this without longtime captain and reigning Stanley Cup MVP Jordan Staal. If the top team in the league is only getting better, that begs the question: Can anyone in the Metro division compete?
The other teams from the division that made the playoffs last year have had disappointing starts, by contrast. After both earning 98 points a season ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers occupy the bottom spots of the Eastern conference.
Currently, the closest competition is the red-hot New Jersey Devils, who have been on a tear ever since trading for goalkeeper Connor Hellebuyck. New Jersey has gone 7-1 since that trade, looking to bounce back from a disappointing campaign derailed by injuries last season.
On offense, the Devils have been led by the likely suspects in Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. Hughes leads the squad in goals and leads the entire NHL with three overtime goals. Hischier has been a steady force at center, scoring eight goals and five assists.
However, New Jersey hasn’t had to rely on the top line as much as past years. After bringing in pieces like Evan Rodrigues and Luke Evangelista, the Devils have seen a spike in production from the lower lines.
Behind them, the New York Rangers are currently in possession of the third playoff spot, despite reeling from star goalkeeper Igor Shesterkin’s season ending injury. 24-year-old Dylan Garand has since been thrusted into a much bigger role and has recently been settling in as the Rangers’ top keeper.
It’s been an up and down start for New York, bouncing back from a dismal 1-6 stretch by winning their last three.
Defenseman Adam Fox has led the Blueshirts in points with 22, currently top five in the league in assists with five. The scoring has been relatively spread out, with the top scorer being Alexis Lafrenière, who has looked like a No. 1 pick after inconsistent production in past years. The veteran presence of Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller have steadied the ship through the middle, taking off the pressure and delivering 12 and nine assists, respectively.
The Rangers’ defense has seemingly taken a step forward, allowing just 2.9 goals per game. They boast one of the league’s best penalty kills at a rate of over 89%.