Of no surprise to those who have been following them at all in recent seasons, the Hurricanes have been controlling play possession-wise with the best of them again this year, yet they’re stuck in and around .500 in the record column.
When it comes to shot-based metrics, the Hurricanes have long been a top performer. Entering the game tonight, they sit first in shot attempts for and expected goals. They’re not a perimeter team by any means, either, leading the league in slot shots for per game. They don’t do well converting on enough of those chances, though (28th in the NHL in goals) and that’s a big reason why GM Don Waddell has been ringing Kyle Dubas’ phone asking for status updates on the William Nylander situation for the past few months.