Hurricanes’ Stankoven & Svechnikov Lead Surge in 7-2 Win Over Canucks

The Carolina Hurricanes returned home Thursday night after winning the previous two games. They were seeking their first win of the season at the Lenovo Center after losing the first two to the Florida Panthers and the Washington Capitals. Forwards Andrei Svechnikov and Logan Stankoven led the way as they defeated the Vancouver Canucks 7-2, claiming their first home win and third straight victory.

Svechnikov Continues Hot Start

Coming into the game, Svechnikov had one goal and four points in the last three games. After K’Andre Miller put the Hurricanes up 1-0 1:18 into the opening frame, the Russian power forward tallied two power-play goals, opening the floodgates. His two consecutive man-advantage goals propelled him to three goals and six points through the first five games of the season.

Furthermore, Svechnikov is now on a four-game point streak after the multi-point night against the Canucks. It was the hot start the Hurricanes needed with Seth Jarvis still recovering from off-season shoulder surgery. After a slow start last season with no points through the first eight games, his six in the first five is a huge boost.

After Thursday night’s win, Svechnikov was asked about his early goal-scoring success. “It gives you lots of confidence, right away, from the start. (I’m) trying to play hard and play my game. Hopefully, it’ll be staying that way.”

The hope heading into the season was that Svechnikov could pick up from where he left off in 2025-26, where he finished with 70 points in 79 games. Safe to say he has, as he is tied for third on the team in goals and second in points.

Stankoven Nets First Career Hat Trick

Stankoven had a night to remember against the Canucks. Heading into Thursday night, he had scored one goal in his first four games. He finished with a natural hat trick, giving him his first career three-goal game. Furthermore, it helped him reach 100 NHL career points. The hat trick started in the second period, when he had the Hurricanes’ first shorthanded goal of the season. He followed that up with the third power-play goal of the night, capping off a 3-for-3 performance for the team.

He capped off the hat trick 11:36 into the third period, giving the Hurricanes their seventh goal of the contest. Now, through five games, Stankoven is tied with Sebastian Aho for the team lead in goals, and is fourth on the team in points (four). After the win, he was asked about his first career hat trick on a memorable night in Raleigh.

“It feels awesome. Just preparation and work that I’ve done over the summers (shows). Each year I try and come back and be a bit better version of myself. I think goal-scoring and finishing are something that’s not easy to do in this league, so I’m going to try and continue to work on that. (There were) some great plays by my linemates as well. It was a fun night.”

After finishing the 2025-26 season with 44 points in 81 games, Stankoven’s four goals in five games are a great start for the Kamloops, BC native. Now in his second full season with the Hurricanes, third since joining in 2024-25, he looks to continue growing his game as the team’s second-line center.

Other notable players who had a huge night against the Canucks were Sean Walker, Jackson Blake, and Aho. Walker finished the night with four assists, the first four-point game of his career. For Blake, he added two assists, giving him five this season and extending his point streak to four games. Regarding Aho, he added another assist, pushing his point streak to four games as well.

Overall, the Hurricanes are on a three-game winning streak following the win on Thursday night. They’re 3-1-1 on the season, taking seven points out of a possible 10 to begin 2026-27. With back-to-back games this weekend against the Chicago Blackhawks and the Philadelphia Flyers, can they keep the winning streak going?