yardbarker
The Carolina Hurricanes, powered by the red-hot goaltending of Pyotr Kochetkov, carry a six-game point streak (5-0-1) into Tuesday night's matchup against the Nashville Predators, the opener of a four-game road trip.
Carolina sits atop the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference with 26 points, having gone 12-1-1 in their last 14 contests. The Hurricanes are coming off a dominating 7-0 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.
Kochetkov stopped 26 shots to record his second shutout of the season and extend his franchise-record winning streak to 10 games to begin the campaign. He is just the third goaltender in NHL history to win at least his first 10 games of a season, joining Jack Campbell (11 in 2020-21) and Carey Price (10 in 2016-17).
With a 1.49 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage, Kochetkov was named the NHL's Third Star of the Month for October, posting a 9-0-0 record with a 1.66 GAA and .919 save percentage during that span.
"We're super comfortable and confident with him back there," said defenseman Sean Walker, who scored twice on Sunday. "We know how talented and skilled he is. He makes it easy on the defense on a nightly basis, the way he can handle the puck and break it out. He's playing at an awesome level."
Logan Stankoven contributed a goal and two assists, while Sebastian Aho added a goal and an assist. Seth Jarvis, Nikolaj Ehlers, and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere each chipped in two assists. Stankoven leads the team with 10 goals, and Aho paces the Hurricanes with 21 points (nine goals, 12 assists). Ehlers and Jackson Blake are riding six-game point streaks, with nine and eight points respectively during that stretch.
In a forward swap, the Predators acquired Shane Wright from the Seattle Kraken on Sunday in exchange for Matthew Wood. The 22-year-old Wright had three goals and an assist in 14 games for Seattle.
"We are excited to add Shane to our mix of forwards," Nashville general manager Chris MacFarland said. "We feel he will bring a strong, two-way game to our team and will add to the pace of our lineup. We believe Shane will continue to grow as a player, and we look forward to working with him."
Nashville rallied for a 5-4 shootout win over the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday after dropping their previous two games (0-1-1). Steven Stamkos scored the only goal in a four-round shootout after his power-play tally at 7:27 of the third period tied the game at 4-4 against his long-time former team. It was his first goal against his former club and former teammate, goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy.
The Predators lead the league with five overtime losses. "It's been tough this year with the shootouts and overtime and not getting that extra point," said Stamkos, 36. "Obviously we've been in a ton of games where we're getting points. When you start getting the odd one, it starts to accumulate. That was a big win for our group."
Reid Schaefer, a scratch the previous four games, also scored, while Filip Forsberg and defenseman Nick Perbix each had two assists on Saturday. Stamkos' power-play goal tied Phil Esposito for sixth all-time at 246 man-advantage goals, one behind fifth-place Luc Robitaille. It was also Stamkos' team-leading eighth goal of the season. He leads the team with eight goals, and Forsberg leads in points with 17 (five goals, 12 assists).
Key Analysis
Kochetkov's historic start has provided Carolina with elite goaltending, fueling their surge to the top of the Eastern Conference. The Hurricanes' depth scoring, led by Stankoven and Aho, makes them a formidable opponent. Meanwhile, Nashville's acquisition of Wright adds youth and two-way ability to their forward group, but the Predators must improve in overtime and shootouts to climb the standings. Stamkos' milestone and leadership remain crucial for Nashville's success.
Originally reported by yardbarker.