Are the Carolina Hurricanes cursed forever?

Despite doing almost everything necessary to build a good team, the Carolina Hurricanes still can’t seem to catch a break

Sometimes, hockey is just unfair. No matter how much hard work and strategic thinking management does, some higher force is always working against them. For Carolina Hurricanes fans, this has been the case for all too long.

Last season was one of their more painful ones. With a blend of fast, young defense and an improving offensive group, goaltender Scott Darling was meant to be the answer. Alas, he was not and Cam Ward was forced to take on a huge role yet again.

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The Hurricanes remained in playoff contention for most of the season, but a late collapse would land them in the upper basement of the league. The problem was, everything except for goaltending was phenomenal.

They were one of the best teams in terms of shots per game and allowed some of the fewest shots in the league. They were the best team in terms of puck possession. None of it mattered. Their shooting percentage was over a full percent below the average, and their combined save percentage was below .900.

This season, the Hurricanes appear to be on a similar early pace. They still don’t have a legitimate starting goalie and are being plagued by the same woes.

This Season

This season, they’re not off to a terrible start by any means, but as has almost been their motto, they could be so much more. They have a 10-8-3 record, 21 games into the season.

Everything in their control, they’ve been doing right. For example, right now, the league average for total shots is 646. The Hurricanes have taken 851 shots. This is incredible, really. It adds up to over 40 shots per game on average. In fact, this is the most in the league.

They’ve also scored the fewest goals in the Eastern Conference at 57. Guess who also has the lowest shooting percentage in the NHL by a full 0.6 percent. The Hurricanes, of course, at 6.7 percent.

In terms of shots against, the Hurricanes are also the best in the league at just over 26 allowed per game (26.6 per game, to be exact). Having allowed 58 goals, they are a mere five better than average. With faulty goaltending, much of their defensive skill is canceled out.

Then comes their possession stats. The Hurricanes consistently post some of the best if not the very best in the league. This season, they have a 58.73 percent CorsiFor percentage. If you randomly zoomed in on any given second in a Hurricanes game, they would have control of the puck about three-fifths of the time.

A ridiculous amount of work has gone into planning this team. Everyone on it appears to be carefully selected. Because of a sub-900 save% and a miserable shooting percentage, it hasn’t mattered. Shooting percentage is supposed to be a luck stat. That’s why it’s in the PDO equation. Yet, Carolina has somehow managed to consistently keep theirs low.

Conclusion

This just acts as a testament to how incredible the Hurricanes are. For people who follow the advanced stats, they’re as a slap in the face. With the most shots in the league, the least shots against and the best possession stats yet a record barely above .500, this team is cursed.