Hurricanes’ Brind’Amour, Kochetkov, & Slavin Share Thoughts After 2-1 Win Over Bruins

The Carolina Hurricanes picked up their 10th win of the season on Tuesday night (Oct. 27) after defeating the Boston Bruins 2-1. After giving up an early goal less than two minutes into the game, the Hurricanes battled back, thanks to goals from Jackson Blake and Sebastian Aho. Pyotr Kochetkov saved 14 of 15 shots that he faced, leading him to win his eighth game of the season. Here is what head coach Rod Brind’Amour and some players said postgame following the win.

Pyotr Kochetkov

Heading into the season, one of the questions surrounding Kochetkov is how he would feel after having hip surgery last season. He only played in nine games, going 6-2-0 over that time. So far in 2026-27, he is 8-0-0 with a 1.62 goals-against average (GAA) and a .918 save percentage (SV%). He is now tied with Frederik Andersen for the longest winning streak to begin a season.

During the postgame media scrum, he stated when asked about feeling better this year after missing most of 2025-26, “Of course. I no remember how many games I played last season. It was very tough. This season, of course, it’s better now. I play eight games plus preseason games. Of course, I feel better.”

Kochetkov is currently tied for first in wins (eight), tied for fourth in shutouts (one), fifth in GAA (1.62), and ninth in SV% (.918). He’s on an unreal run to begin the 2026-27 season. Before the season began, Hurricanes goalie coach Paul Schonfelder expressed that he thinks Kochetkov could reach an elite level, and so far, we are seeing that happen in real time.

Jaccob Slavin

Despite giving up an early power play goal to the Bruins’ Pavel Zacha, the Hurricanes penalty kill locked it down and killed off the next four opportunities throughout the game. When asked about the penalty kill units regrouping after the Zacha goal, Jaccob Slavin stated, “It’s huge. We like to think that we have a really good penalty kill, and we do, but as of late, we’ve given some goals up on the PK. So we want to make sure we’re dialed in with that. To have the rest of the game the way it happened with our kill is awesome for us. Confidence boost for the PK, but at the end of the day, we’ve got to do the job.”

The Hurricanes’ penalty kill finished 11th last season after being in the mid-20s for most of 2025-26. Once Slavin returned after missing time with a lower-body injury, the team got back on track, just missing out on the top 10. This season, they’re in the top 10, and despite giving up more power-play goals than they like, they’ve been playing better as of late. With them missing key penalty killers like Jordan Staal and Mark Jankowski, they’re still managing to get the job done.

Rod Brind’Amour

Following morning skate, Brind’Amour was asked about Kochetkov being a key contributor this season, especially during the North Carolina State Fair road trip. He said that Kochetkov was playing great, making timely saves and keeping them in the games. Against the Bruins, Kochetkov saved 14 of 15 shots, earning a .933 SV% and his eighth win of the season.

When asked postgame about Kochetkov stepping up again, even with limited shots faced throughout the game, Brind’Amour stated, “Up until the last five minutes where we got the two penalties called on us, there wasn’t much action at all, but there were a couple, and he had to come up big. That’s what goaltending is. Timely saves, and that’s what he’s been doing all year.”

All you have to do is make the timely saves to keep the team in it, and Kochetkov once again did his job. He helped lead the team to their 10th win of 2026-27, and they are now 10-2-2 through 14 games. Furthermore, they’re on a four-game point streak as they face the Columbus Blue Jackets Thursday night (Oct. 29). Right now, the Hurricanes are playing great hockey, and the defending Stanley Cup champions look formidable as ever as they look to defend their title.