As the calendar flips to December, the Carolina Hurricanes dropped their last two games against the defending Stanley Cup Champions but did finish the last week of November 2-2-0. They are currently third in the Metropolitan Division and are 16-7-1 (33 points) after 24 games into the 2024-25 season. The Hurricanes sit only two points back of division-leading Washington Capitals (35). Who stood out for the team as they prepare to begin the third and last month of 2024 of the season? In the second edition of the “Three Stars of the Month” series at The Hockey Writers, let’s dive into the three Canes players who will take the honors.
3 Stars for November
Third Star: Eric Robinson
Last month saw the likes of Frederik Andersen, Martin Necas, and Shayne Gostisbehere take the honors of the three stars. However, December will see a new crop of faces, because adding the NHL points leader would be too easy for back-to-back months to start the season.
This time, we kick this off with the newcomer Eric Robinson, who has fit in well with this team starting back in training camp. No matter where head coach Rod Brind’Amour slots Robinson in the lineup, he gives 110% with his sneaky speed, great hockey IQ and just being able to keep plays going everywhere on the ice.
Related: Hurricanes’ Roslovic, Robinson & Others Proving Depth Is Not an Issue
In October, he started on the fourth line with Jack Drury and rookie sensation Jackson Blake and in November, he played most of the month on the second line with Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Necas. Safe to say, he played phenomenally well on both lines, and everywhere else Brind’Amour needed him.
Robinson finished the second month of the season with five goals and 11 points in 15 games for the Hurricanes. Those 11 points in November got him up to 15 points on the season so far, placing him seventh on the team. While averaging just over 12:37 of ice time, he has managed to score five goals, one of them being a game-winner. He has a shooting percentage (S%) of 33.3%.
While he might not be the most explosive player on the Hurricanes, Robinson has shown that in the right system, he can produce when needed. That extra scoring depth goes a long way and it’s proving itself with a great month of November from the New Jersey product. Robinson is on a one-year deal with the Hurricanes but if he keeps up his production on the ice, maybe there is something to be considered for 2025-26 and beyond for him here in Carolina.
Second Star: Seth Jarvis
What else is there to say about Seth Jarvis that already hasn’t been said yet? Despite missing seven games in November due to a nagging shoulder injury, he still managed to be a point-per-game player for the Hurricanes. In eight games, the Winnipeg native accumulated four goals and eight points. While having four goals in the month, three of those came in three straight games after coming back from injury. In his first game back, he scored a shorthanded marker against the Dallas Stars in which he had a three-point night.
Related: Hurricanes’ Seth Jarvis Will Crack Top-30 in Franchise Points This Season
Jarvis has played in seven fewer games than the rest of the team but sits fifth on the points list with 16 in 17 games. That shows how dynamic the 22-year-old can be; he missed seven games but is still in the top five in team scoring. Furthermore, he has made himself into someone Brind’Amour can trust in all situations anywhere on the ice. He has even taken faceoffs this season to help the team there when needed. Jarvis is the Swiss Army Knife of the Hurricanes and can be plugged anywhere on the lineup. Lines just spark with him on it, being the catalyst of that particular line.
Jarvis closed out the last week of November with five points in four games, which helps the case of him getting his new contract. In the first year of his new eight-year extension with the Hurricanes, the contract has more than made itself worthy at this point.
First Star: Pyotr Kochetkov
Despite missing the last week of November while being in concussion protocol following the Columbus Blue Jackets game on Nov. 23, Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov had a stellar second month of the season. He finished November with a 6-1-0 record in eight games, managing a .911 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.30 goals-against average (GAA). In 13 games this season, he has a 10-2-0 record with a .904 SV% and a 2.42 GAA. He got the no-decision against the Blue Jackets since the game was tied when he was removed from it. Spencer Martin was saddled with the loss. However, Kochetkov, for the second straight season, has taken the bulk of the workload with Andersen being out eight to 12 weeks after having knee surgery.
Related: Hurricanes’ Pyotr Kochetkov Should Be Team’s Starting Goalie in 2024-25
Every time Kochetkov has been asked to take the reigns as the main starter, he has proven why he should be that player. He has two more years left on his current four-year contract which aligns him to be the guy next season with Andersen’s deal expiring in the summer. In 468:53 minutes of ice time, Kochetkov managed to stop 185 out of a total of 203 shots in the eight games he played in November. He is proving, once again, why he needs to be the 1A starter whenever Andersen comes back from the surgery (still projecting late February).
There has been no update on when Kochetkov will eventually be back. The hope is that he gets to practice this week before the Hurricanes host the Seattle Kraken at home on Tuesday, Dec. 3. If he is ready to go, that will be a huge sigh of relief for a team that managed to navigate a tough last week of November going 2-2-0 in his absence. He managed to keep the Hurricanes afloat last season and it looks like the Russian “nyetminder” will once again be asked to do the same.
Welcome to December
The Hurricanes’ first game for December will be against the Kraken on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at home in Raleigh. The last time these two met up was back during the Western Canadian Trip where the Hurricanes defeated the Kraken 4-1 on Oct. 26 in Seattle. It’ll be interesting to see how this one plays out if Kochetkov is back or not. Either way, the Hurricanes look to turn around from the last two games against the Panthers and get themselves back in the win column. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. Eastern on FanDuel Sports Network South and 99.9 The Fan.
