February has been a rough month for the Carolina Hurricanes. They’ve lost five of their last six games, with a two-week break between games, and their lone win came against the Utah Hockey Club on Feb. 8, when they won 7-3. Other than that, they’re 1-5-0 heading into their last game of the month against the Buffalo Sabres on Whalers Night on Thursday.
All teams go through rough stretches. The Hurricanes have had high notes, starting the season 14-4-0 and winning 10 games in January. It’s always frustrating when the team isn’t playing well. However, great teams, especially those run by head coach Rod Brind’Amour always figure it out.
As of Wednesday, the Hurricanes sit second in the Metropolitan Division with a 33-21-4 record and 70 points, with 24 games left until the playoffs. They’re tied with the New Jersey Devils with a game in hand and are six points up on the Columbus Blue Jackets who sit in the second wild-card spot. Despite the ups and downs, they are destined for their seventh straight playoff appearance of the Brind’Amour era.
Nine of Carolina’s 14 games in March are at the Lenovo Center. Their home record is 21-6-1, which ranks top five in the NHL – a dramatic difference from their 12-15-3 road record. They also rank 10th in the NHL in points, despite a tough February. There is no doubt that they will get back on track. Their home record alone can correct the mindset of a team that is 4-5-1 in their last 10 games. The team is also the best in the Eastern Conference and ranks second in the NHL with an 84.3% success rate on the penalty kill – behind the Dallas Stars who took over the top spot.
Related: No Reason to Hit Hurricanes’ Panic Button Despite Current Struggles
However, their power play needs to figure it out as they’re now 1 for 15 in February alone. The Hurricanes’ power play ranks 24th in the NHL with a 19.4% success rate. They finished top five last season and even ranked third at one point in 2024-25. Some things need to be addressed. It might even be time for a players-only meeting like they did last season after going 0-4 on their Western Canadian trip.
The leadership of Jordan Staal, Jordan Martinook, Jaccob Slavin, and Sebastian Aho know that something needs to give for this team to shake off the slow start during games that they’ve had this season. In the first period, the Hurricanes have a minus-6 goal differential. They’re at least a plus-13 in the second and third periods.
After their 4-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night, Staal stated, “We’re starting off games down a couple and chasing is never a recipe for success. I just don’t think we’re defending well enough. We’re kind of hoping to out-score teams and hoping to out-chance teams, playing that 50/50 ‘we get more goals than them’ kind of thing. We’ve always been a club that defends and defends well. We’ve slipped in that aspect of our game.”
Brind’Amour’s system is not built for run-and-gun hockey. The Hurricanes are a defensively structured team built on the transition from defense to offense. They are built around a 200-foot game, and right now, they’ve moved away from their game plan.
The only blueliner who has been consistent defensively is Slavin, with a plus-11 rating while covering the defensive zone. He was a standout during the 4 Nations Face-Off, and he continues to have a huge impact on the Hurricanes. Jalen Chatfield also deserves credit with a team-best plus-19 on the season. Martinook and Staal for the forwards play defensively well with the former being a plus-14 while the latter is a plus-11. Seth Jarvis as well has been someone who’s given it all in his game, especially on the defense as while he is a plus-1, he is the prototypical Brind’Amour with a perfect two-way game.
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Defense coach Tim Gleason prides his team on having the best defense and penalty kill in the NHL. While the penalty kill is succeeding, it might be time to change the defensive pairings of Slavin – Brent Burns, Dmitry Orlov – Chatfield, and Shayne Gostisbehere – Sean Walker, who have mostly played together this season.
Maybe it is time to see if there are any other pairings to try out, maybe a Slavin-Walker on the top pair, since it seems shuffling the forward lines isn’t working like they used to in the past. There is no doubt this coaching staff will figure it out, especially when they have helped coach this team past six straight first-round wins.
There are 24 games left in the regular season before the 2025 NHL Playoffs start and nine days before the NHL Trade Deadline. Things will get figured out on the ice and the front office led by general manager Eric Tulsky will help to right the ship and make the team ready for a deep playoff run.
The Hurricanes (33-21-4) take on the Sabres (24-27-5) on Thursday night (Feb. 27) for their annual Whalers Night, when the team honors their former team The Hartford Whalers with a retro jersey and new goal song. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. puck drop on FanDuel Sports Network South and on radio at 99.9 The Fan. Hopefully, the Hurricanes end the month on a high note before a busy March begins on Saturday.
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