Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov (52) stops a Detroit Red Wings center Austin Czarnik (21) shot in the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
AP
Morrisville
Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour recently was asked if he keeps a close eye on the NHL standings.
“You don’t really need to,” Brind’Amour said. “You know everyone wins in our division, so you just try to keep pace.”
One way to keep pace is to go on a six-game road trip and post a 5-0-1 record. That’s what the Canes did, finishing up the swing with a 1-0 victory Tuesday over the Detroit Red Wings as goalie Pyotr Kochetkov had 27 saves, notching his second straight shutout.
The Canes were back in Raleigh on Wednesday and held a limited practice at Invisalign Arena. Among the nine skaters was Max Pacioretty, who wore a non-contact jersey but went through his first practice session with the team since his preseason Achilles injury and surgery.
Pacioretty is “certainly not close” to being able to play, Brind’Amour said. But it was another step in the right direction for the veteran forward, who had some zip on his shots Wednesday.
“It’s good that at least he’s starting to get in the mix with the guys,” Brind’Amour said.
As of Wednesday,, the Canes (16-6-6) were in second place in the Metropolitan Division, six points behind the New Jersey Devils. The Pittsburgh Penguins also have 38 points (in 29 games), followed by the New York Islanders (35 points) and New York Rangers (35), and the Washington Capitals (34).
That’s a tight squeeze in the Metro. The Hurricanes have points in their past eight games and 12 of the past 13 games, and have gone 11-3-5 away from home this season. That’s some strong stuff.
Kochetkov, 23, has been a big part of it. He was recalled Nov. 8 from the Chicago Wolves of the AHL on an emergency basis when Frederik Andersen was sidelined with a knee problem.
The question now is whether Kochetkov will go back.
Kochetkov started all six games on the road trip. The Russian has played 10 of the past 11 games with Andersen out. He has the back-to-back shutouts, blanking the Islanders 3-0 with 16 saves on Saturday,
The callup has become the Hurricanes’ No. 1 goaltender.
“At the end of the day he’s a real competitor,” Brind’Amour said Tuesday. “He wants to win. It shows in the way he plays, aggressively. The guys love playing for him, that’s pretty clear.”
Kochetkov, called “Koochie” by his teammates, received one of the “C-5” T-shirts that Brind’Amour hands out — or throws — to the stars of the game after wins.
The Canes will face the Seattle Kraken on Thursday at PNC Arena. Brind’Amour said center Sebastian Aho, who has missed the past two games with a lower-body issue, is doubtful to play.
In more than 30 years at The N&O, Chip Alexander has covered the N.C. State, UNC, Duke and East Carolina beats, and now is in his 11th season on the Carolina Hurricanes beat. Alexander, who has won numerous writing awards at the state and national level, covered the Hurricanes’ move to North Carolina in 1997 and was a part of The N&O’s coverage of the Canes’ 2006 Stanley Cup run.