It's hard to start a season better than the way the Carolina Hurricanes have.
In their opener, they beat the New Jersey Devils, 6-3. Then it was 4-3 over the Philadelphia Flyers, 5-1 over the San Jose Sharks and 4-1 over the Anaheim Ducks.
That latest convincing win came Thursday night and pushed the Hurricanes to 4-0 on the season.
And in ESPN's new NHL power rankings that came out Friday, the Hurricanes were No. 1.
ESPN's Sean Allen and Victoria Matiash gave a very fascinating stat to sum up why they're early believers in the Hurricanes.
"The first two games showcased Carolina's depth," ESPN wrote. "The fourth line was on the ice for three goals, and the third defensive pairing for five, signaling a team where contributions come from every corner of the roster. That's the kind of balance that can carry a Cup run."
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The usual suspects have done their part, of course.
Seth Jarvis is off to a blistering start with five goals and two assists.
Shayne Gostisbehere already has six assists to go with a goal.
Sebastian Aho has a goal and five assists, and Taylor Hall has two goals and two assists.
But then you take a winger like Eric Robinson, who is playing 10 minutes a night but already has two goals and an assist through four games.
Or a lesser defenseman like Alexander Nikishin, who in his 16 minutes a night has three assists and a goal.
It's all working for the Hurricanes.
They're back in action Saturday at the Los Angeles Kings, and they'll see if they can keep it rolling.
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