Hurricanes storm into All-Star break with dominant win over Blackhawks

An unexpected force handed the Chicago Blackhawks their most lopsided loss of the season.

The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the defending Stanley Cup champions by a score of 5-0 on Tuesday, sending Chicago into the All-Star break having lost three of four, with three goals to their credit in those contests.

The Hurricanes, meanwhile, have gone 7-2-1 in their past ten games. That's lifted their record to 23-20-8, good for 54 points through 51 games and within striking distance of a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Advanced metrics would suggest Carolina's success is no fluke. Heading into Tuesday's game, the Hurricanes ranked sixth in Corsi For at five-on-five (53 percent), with a PDO of 97.7.

In other words, they're regularly recording more shot attempts than the opposition, but low shooting and save percentages have conspired against them in terms of goals for and against.

They certainly outplayed one of the best teams in the league on this night.

The surge leaves general manager Ron Francis in an interesting spot leading up to the Feb. 29 trade deadline, especially with the likes of Eric Stael and Cam Ward set to become unrestricted free agents.

While the captain remains the face of the franchise, the goalie is currently on the shelf, making way for Eddie Lack, who's filling in admirably.

Apart from that, Francis boasts a plethora of young talent both on the blue line and up front. Many of those young players are coming into their own - perhaps more quickly than expected, but much to the delight of veterans like Kris Versteeg.

On the flip side, the Hurricanes have played the most games out of any team in the East, meaning it may only be a matter of time before the rest of the field catches up.

For now, Carolina's exceeding all expectations, with the win over Chicago serving as an exclamation point.

- Advanced stats courtesy Puckalytics