The NHL season is rolling along full steam ahead; teams have now played past the season\u2019s quarter mark. Some teams have played just as expected when the puck dropped for the new season. Other teams have been surprising by either overachieving or underachieving through the NHL first quarter. Today we look at the performance and storylines of the teams in the NHL Metropolitan Division.<\/p>\n
The Carolina Hurricanes<\/a> entered the season as heavy contenders to win the Stanley Cup. Through the NHL First Quarter, the Hurricanes are on pace for a 108-point season, slightly down from the franchise record of 116 points last season. Key offseason addition, Max Pacioretty<\/a>, ruptured<\/a> his Achilles tendon in August and was slated to miss six months. Starting goalie Frederik Andersen<\/a> last suited up on November 6th as he deals with an undisclosed injury. Rookie goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov<\/a> has been proving himself at the NHL level since. The Hurricanes recently signed<\/a> the rookie to a four-year contract extension worth $2M\/AAV.<\/p>\n Three forwards have been driving the offence for the Hurricanes. Martin Necas<\/a> leads the team with 28 points in 25 games, Sebastian Aho<\/a> has 26 points, and Andrei Svechnikov<\/a> leads Carolina with 15 goals. The three forwards have combined for 37 goals, while the rest of the Hurricanes’ forwards have combined for just 24 goals. The good news is Pacioretty has recently resumed skating and will give Carolina an immediate boost offensively once available. Teuvo Teravainen<\/a> recently came off the injured reserve, although he hadn’t scored in 14 games prior to his injury. The losses of Nino Niederreiter<\/a>, Vincent Trocheck<\/a>, and Max Domi<\/a> over the off-season have also made an impact.<\/p>\nHurricanes Need More Secondary Scoring<\/h4>\n