RALEIGH, N.C. — Despite their perfect start to the season, the Carolina Hurricanes' play has been far from perfect. That's actually the beauty of it.
They have found ways to protect leads, to recover from early mistakes, to capitalize on special teams in critical moments — not always strengths in the past.
Monday's 4-1 win over the woeful Toronto Maple Leafs was a good example of that: Frederik Andersen gave up a soft early goal to leave the Hurricanes behind after a first period they mostly dominated, but neither Andersen nor the Hurricanes ever flinched.
Five games is only five games, and the Hurricanes haven't exactly seen the creme de la creme of the NHL yet, but there's a lot to be said for starting the season with five wins, and not only for the 10 points. Despite all the turnover and all the changes and all the uncertainty surrounding this team, the Hurricanes have risen above it completely and found the kind of groove that usually takes months to emerge.
Andersen, who has started all five games in a jarring departure from Rod Brind'Amour's past practice, has given up a bad goal or two but then carried on as if nothing happened, entirely unflappable. The Hurricanes have fed off that. The calm radiates out from the net.
It's been a few years since the Hurricanes were relying on sub-replacement-level goalies who would collapse like a pup tent after giving up a howler, but even in the playoffs last year you could see the team seize up like the grim old days when its confidence in its netminder started to wane.
That has not happened with Andersen — not in the opener and not Monday night — and he has quickly earned the confidence not only of his coach but his teammates far faster than ever could have been expected.
Jaccob Slavin talked Monday night about the Hurricanes' ability to finish games, to see things through to the end, not only a big reason why they are 5-0-0 but another early-season confidence-booster. There have been times where their performance, if not their effort, has wavered, but they have still found ways to win.
"You learn how to win games early in the year and finish off games," Slavin said. "I feel like in the past we've struggled that, so to finish off games — finished off the game in Montreal, finished off the game in Columbus and again tonight — and play all the way to the whistle and not give them any hope, it's huge."
It helps to have Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho at their best, playing like two of the best forwards in the NHL, but if anything the Hurricanes' depth has been as big a factor as their top-end skill.
Some of this is not despite the new players, but because of them. The retooled fourth line has been a considerable upgrade. Ethan Bear, despite a few hiccups with the puck Monday night, has solidified the Hurricanes' top two defensive pairings in the wake of Dougie Hamilton's departure.
Whatever Tony DeAngelo's defensive deficiencies may be, Ian Cole has covered them up. The arrival of Jesperi Kotkaniemi has not only upgraded the Hurricanes' skill up front but helped put Jesper Fast and Nino Niederreiter in matchups they can dominate playing on the third line with Jordan Staal.
Without any reason to change things up, Brind'Amour hasn't even felt the need to see Antti Raanta in net or rookie Seth Jarvis or veteran defenseman Brendan Smith, although it seems likely all three will get a shot Friday against the dismal and disgraced Chicago Blackhawks.
First, though, the Hurricanes host their bete noire, the Boston Bruins, on Thursday night. Unlike the Maple Leafs, the Bruins will be the best test yet of just how far the Hurricanes have come.
