NHL scores 2016: Hurricanes riding defensive prowess to early-season success

If you’re not aware (we weren’t before the night began), the NHL is currently in a deadlock of parity.

Oh, some teams are far worse than others. (Hi, Canucks. Sorry.) But gaze over the NHL landscape and you’ll find most teams are within five points or less of each other.

So any little streak at this point in the year is important as clubs separate in either direction over the next few months. And nobody is streaking better than the Carolina Hurricanes right now.

They’re good. Or at least acting like it. Carolina has won five straight games, which is cool until you realize who they’ve beaten in that stretch: Washington, San Jose, Montreal, Winnipeg and (on Tuesday) the Maple Leafs. All teams either universally regarded as contenders or strong up-and-comers. And all capable of scoring at will, yet the Hurricanes bottled them up to 2 goals per game in this streak.

Coach Bill Peters is doing something special with this group, instilling a strong defensive mentality so important for young players to learn early on. Carolina boasts the best penalty kill in the league (91.8 percent) and gives up the seventh-least shots per game. Scoring comes from turnovers and responsible defending; if you’re chasing the game you’re giving up chances the other way. Start responsibly in your end and build forward.

Old mantras that still work these days, clearly. It’s working for Carolina. They may not stand out of the fray right now, but this early work could pay off come playoff race time.

Hurricanes 2, Maple Leafs 1

Senators 4, Canadiens 3

Blues 4, Bruins 2

Flyers 3, Panthers 1

Islanders 3, Ducks 2 (SO)

* * *

* * *

1. Backes enjoyed facing his old teammates

Aside from the Las Vegas announcement, all eyes would be on David Backes’ first game against the Blues since vacating their captaincy to sign with the Bruins last summer. He didn’t take long to remind them what they were missing, tipping in a shot and shattering his stick in the first few minutes of the game.

St. Louis got the last laughs, though. That’s four straight wins for the Blues, who sit comfortably in a playoff spot in the Western Conference as November draws to a close.

2. The Vegas Golden Knights’ logo is highly Photoshoppable.

3. The Senators finally found some offense

To grasp how stacked the odds were against the Senators on Tuesday, here’s two things you should know:

On Tuesday, the Senators walked away with a 4-3 regulation win in Montreal.

You may be wondering if that meant the Senators dominated the Habs in possession. No:

Montreal outshot Ottawa, 39-23. Craig Anderson was terrific, and two of the Senators’ most important (and struggling) contributors in Mike Hoffman and Mark Stone found the back of the net. It was a much-needed win.

Hey, how’s that Alexander Radulov thing working out in Montreal?

catches breath, gathers himself

Oh, cool. Still great. Just wondering. Carry on.

This generally doesn’t mean great things for St. Louis:

Though he wasn’t a drain on possession on Tuesday despite some long shifts. And his team won. You win this round, Ken Hitchcock.