Follow me on Twitter: @BenShelley_20 Follow HockeyBuzz Hurricanes on Twitter: @HB_Canes Through 29 games prior to the holiday break, the Carolina Hurricanes lead the league in both wins and points percentage, with a 21-7-1 record. Despite all the COVID absences the team has faced, including the entire right side of their defense group being gone for a stretch of games, the Hurricanes have continued to push through adversity to get wins. Adding onto this, the Hurricanes have played 17 of their 29 games on the road. As of now, the Hurricanes have averaged the fewest goals against per game in the NHL, while also averaging the eighth highest goals for per game. Up front, Sebastian Aho has been stellar for the team so far, with 15 goals and 32 points in 26 games, while Seth Jarvis has made an impact as a rookie and looks destined to be a long-term top forward with the team. Meanwhile after a slow start Jesper Kotkaniemi has stepped up with other forwards out of the lineup and has been contributing well over the last little while. Others have been performing as expected as well, with Andrei Svechnikov, Teuvo Teravainen, Vincent Trocheck, Martin Necas and even Nino Niederreiter adding offense at a great rate. On the blue line, Dougie Hamilton’s absence really has not been felt as much as anticipated. Jaccob Slavin has been great, while Brett Pesce also recently returned to the lineup and Brady Skjei has been reliable. Offseason additions have worked out as well, as Tony DeAngelo is gaining trust and ice time and is producing at nearly a point-per-game pace, a better rate than Hamilton in New Jersey. While I haven’t been quite as impressed with Ethan Bear since his return to the lineup as I was early in the season, he’s still been a really solid addition as well, while Ian Cole provides decent depth. Frederik Andersen, whose signing I showed skepticism towards coming into the year, has arguably been the team’s most valuable player so far. Andersen has posted an excellent .930 save percentage through 21 games this season and has emerged as the team’s go-to starter. That said, Antti Raanta provides very underrated depth in net and is the perfect backup for the team. With virtually no holes in their lineup, the Carolina Hurricanes have dominated early on. There’s still a long way to go and we'll have to see how the COVID absences affect the team going forward but so far, the Hurricanes look like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. ***NOTE: We've launched a HockeyBuzz Hurricanes Twitter account! For anyone interested, you can follow @HB_Canes for updates on articles, Hurricanes news, etc.*** Supersurvey OTHER ARTICLES FROM DECEMBER Hurricanes lose to Stars as three defensemen remain in COVID protocol Hurricanes get back on track with big win over Sabres Hurricanes off to strong start on road trip with win over Jets Hurricanes pick up overtime win against Flames Hurricanes defeat Oilers but fall to Canucks in weekend back-to-back Hurricanes vs. Wild game postponed, several players test positive for COVID Shorthanded Hurricanes pull out win over Red Wings Hurricanes on a roll despite absences, defeat Kings Hurricanes have lengthy break after games postponed
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