With nearly two months gone in the season already, time has certainly been flying. The Carolina Hurricanes are 25 games into the season after another solid month. November saw the Canes go 9-4-2, tying them with the Washington Capitals for the best record in the division and the fifth-best points percentage in the league.

Their 20 points last month have them one point up on the Devils and two up on the Capitals for the division crown as we barrel towards Christmas. They continued to do it with some roster turnover due to injuries, including a full month without Jaccob Slavin. There was plenty to be thankful for with what we saw on the ice. Here is the best of the best from November.

Stories of the Month

The Bus Driver keeps delivering: Playing time was sporadic for Brandon Bussi in November. The third stringer only made four starts, with most of them including a lot of time in between. He went over a week between his final start in October and his first in November against the Maple Leafs. Then, he waited almost two weeks before facing the Jets for the first time.

His start against the Leafs was shaky, allowing four goals on 20 shots, but his offense picked him up. However, he was excellent in both starts against the Jets before earning his first NHL shutout with a 15-save performance against the Flames. With Pyotr Kochetkov dealing with a nagging injury and Frederik Andersen lacking consistency, Bussi has emerged as the lone source of stability in the net.

Not-so-Special Teams: If there is one area that the Hurricanes need to improve on quickly, it’s their special teams. Neither unit was strong enough in November to instill any confidence. The penalty kill allowed eight goals on 35 chances, including goals in five straight in mid-November. Their 77.1 percent success rate was 25th in the league, and they continue to struggle without Slavin.

The power play is trending in the right direction, but it remains a giant sore spot for the team. They scored seven times on 42 attempts, including a nice three-game goal streak. They finished at just 16.7 percent (19th) for the month, and they’re still tied for 30th in the league (13.7%) overall. It’s an improvement, but not a very good one.

First points for a pair of rookies: November 8th against the Buffalo Sabres was a big night for two of the team’s prospects. Both Charles Alexis Legault and Joel Nystrom notched their first points in the NHL. Nystrom was first, setting up Jesperi Kotkaniemi in the second period. Then, Legault picked up the secondary helper on Eric Robinson’s goal in the opening minute of the third.

Legault added to his big night by scoring an insurance goal into the empty net from 180 feet away for his first NHL tally. Unfortunately, his season was derailed less than 24 hours later when he sliced his hand against Toronto, forcing him to have surgery that will keep him out for a few months. Nystrom is still going strong and added to his total with a multi-assist effort against the Bruins on 11/17.

Best Moment: Jarvis torches his hometown team

It’s one thing to score a hat trick against the Montreal Canadiens, whom Seth Jarvis first accomplished the feat against in 2023. It’s another to do it against his hometown Winnipeg Jets, the team Jarvis grew up watching. After scoring a short-handed goal in their first meeting in Winnipeg on November 21, Jarvis decided one wasn’t enough when the Jets visited Raleigh a week later.

Jarvis opened the scoring against the debuting Thomas Milic late in the first period, breaking a frustrating deadlock before the intermission. He added his second goal 47 seconds after Jordan Martinook snagged the lead in the third. To finish it off, Jarvis scored into the empty net, completing his second hat trick.

Best Game: A perfect season debut at Madison Square Garden

There are a few good options for the Game of the Month, but it’s hard to pass up a dominant performance on Broadway. After beginning the season injured, Pyotr Kochetkov made his long-awaited season debut on November 4 in New York against one of the Hurricanes’ most bitter division rivals. To say it was perfect might be an understatement.

By the end of the second period, the Canes had taken the Rangers’ fans out of it. Nikolaj Ehlers scored late in the first on the power play, finally breaking through for his first as a Hurricane. Sean Walker doubled the advantage late in the second. Kochetkov was tested a lot early in the contest before the defense settled in. He finished with 26 stops as the Canes topped the Rangers, 3-0.

Three Stars of the Month

The race for the top three spots was very tight, so there are some tough omissions. Sebastian Aho led the team with 13 points in 15 games. It’s also hard to mention the month without giving props to both Pyotr Kochetkov and Brandon Bussi. Each was a perfect 4-0-0 with a shutout in four starts, but neither played enough for me to be comfortable putting them in my three stars of the month.

Third Star: It’s slightly disappointing that Shayne Gosisbehere dealt with a pair of injuries so close together. After missing three games very early, he suffered a different injury less than a period into his return, forcing him out for another six games. Since returning against the Capitals, Gostisbehere has been on fire.

He picked up where he left off by notching a three-game assist streak, including three helpers in their OT win against the Canucks. Gostisbehere finished the month with 11 points, leading the team’s defensemen and tying Aho for the most assists (9). Both of his goals came on the power play in consecutive games against New York and Buffalo.

Second Star: After finishing October as my first star, Seth Jarvis followed it up with another very good month in November. His 11 points were tied for third on the team with Gostisbehere and Andrei Svechnikov, while his eight goals were three more than any of his teammates. Most of his damage came at 5-on-5, scoring 10 points at even strength to go with a short-handed goal.

Jarvis began the month on a hot streak, scoring three goals in the first five games, but the well dried a little over the next five. Once he scored against the Jets in front of his friends and family in Winnipeg, he seemingly regained his touch. He scored five goals in the final five games, including his aforementioned hat trick on Friday against those same Jets.

First Star: For all of the times I’ve mentioned the Winnipeg Jets, it’s fitting that a former Jet tops the list. It took Nikolaj Ehlers some time to get into the groove of things. Once he caught fire, it was hard to stop him. Ehlers was second on the team in points with 12, tying Svechnikov for second with five goals over 15 games, three of which served as game-winners.

When Ehlers scored his first as a Hurricane in New York, it kicked off a seven-game point streak, nearly matching his career-high. Half of Ehlers’ points came on the power play, with five of those six points being assists. He christened his first trip back to Winnipeg by setting up the game-winner before closing the month with the overtime winner against the Calgary Flames.