Hurricanes Conclude March’s Grueling Schedule on a High Note

Along with Andersen playing well, his tandem partner Pyotr Kochetkov secured the eighth shutout of his career on March 30 and his 20th win on the season. In the eight games he started in March, he had a record of 4-3-1 with a .910 SV% and a 2.51 GAA. He is now 20-13-4 with a 2.38 GAA and a .911 SV% on the season. Looking just past March, he has had a start to 2024 to remember as he has a .921 SV% (second in the NHL) and a 2.15 GAA (first in the NHL). Both netminders are setting up the Hurricanes well for a deep playoff run that could see another Metro Division title as well. Carolina has 101 points and is only three points behind the leaders in the New York Rangers (who have a game in hand).

Outside of the netminders having a spectacular month, the Hurricanes’ top line has been supernova-hot since Gunetzel was put with Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis.

There’s No Stopping “The JAG Line”

The top line for the Hurricanes whom the fanbase calls “The JAG Line” consists of recently acquired Guenztel, Sebastian Aho, and Seth Jarvis. Those three were put together during the Toronto Maple Leafs game on March 16, and in the nine games since then, they have been arguably the best line in the NHL. In over 134 minutes together, including the powerplay, they have had 17 goals for and zero goals allowed. As a line, they are collectively a plus-17 in nine games while together on the ice. Putting that into perspective, Guentzel has gotten two goals and 15 points since he was placed with Aho and Jarvis. Furthermore, he is plus-11 while averaging 18 minutes on ice.

Jarvis over that same span, had eight goals and 11 points. Most of that nine-game stretch included five of the six games where he had a goal streak going. He averaged around 20:21 of ice time and had three powerplay goals as well. Plus, he had two buzzer-beater goals before the end of periods in back-to-back games. After a huge eight-point night on March 28 versus the Detroit Red Wings where the top line dominated, Jarvis stated, “That’s what we want to do every night.  We want to control the game and we want to spark energy for our team.  We want to shut down the other team as well.  I think we did a good job in the second, we really turned it up.  I think that’s what jumpstarted the team and made a big difference.”

Jarvis has had such a good stretch of games that he is one goal away from having 30 on the season for the first time in his three-year career. Also, he has a chance to achieve 65-plus points for the first time, all while being 22 years old. It’s a nice season to have with a possibility of a huge contract extension coming up this summer.

The centerpiece of the top line, no pun intended, is Aho who is having a career year in his ninth season in the NHL. In March alone, he had more three-point games (five) than zero-point games (four). Also, in the 15 games, he finished tied for seventh in goals (10) and assists (13) along with fifth in points (23) and first in plus/minus (plus-18). In the 2023-24 season so far, he has 33 goals and 85 points in 72 games. He has been well over a point-per-game player for the Hurricanes. His previous career high in points was 83 and he surpassed that on March 30 versus the Canadiens when he tallied a goal and an assist. Furthermore, he is within five points of having 90 for the first time in his career. Just for an extra caveat to the whole Hurricanes and Canadiens storyline, since they offer sheeted Aho back in 2019, the Hurricanes are 11-0-1 against Montreal. They have not lost to the Habs in regulation over that 12-game span.

Turning the Page to April

As the calendar flips to April, the Hurricanes have seven games left in the regular season before the start of the 2024 NHL Playoffs. Their first game is on Thursday, April 4 against the Boston Bruins in the first half of a back-to-back. Carolina will travel to Boston the following week on April 9 so both teams will be very familiar with each other. Furthermore, they will have three Metro Division games to finish the season starting with the Washington Capitals on April 5 at home. That is followed up with a game on Sunday, April 7 versus the Columbus Blue Jackets before going to Columbus to finish the regular season on April 16.

The last two Western Conference games will be in the Midwest versus the St. Louis Blues (April 12) and the Chicago Blackhawks (April 14) which will be in the middle of a four-game road trip to close out the season. Seven games in 12 days to finish the 2023-24 regular season will be a great tuneup for the Hurricanes before the playoffs start. There is no indication who they will face in the first round, but they will be ready for whoever it is come that time.