Pyotr Kochetkov Is Finding Success Behind Challenging Hurricanes System

According to Natural Stat Trick, Kochetkov has faced 35 high-danger chances. Those are usually shooting opportunities from below the circles toward the slot. He’s turned away 28 of them, for an .800 high-danger save percentage. That’s 17th in the NHL among goaltenders with at least five starts. That puts him 17th of 32, so just below the middle of the pack.

These stats still don’t properly represent how good Kochetkov has been, largely because of the workload differential. Only Jacob Markstrom and Alex Nedeljkovic have faced fewer high-danger shots than Kochetkov among goaltenders with at least five starts, and both have played about 50 minutes fewer than Carolina’s Russian backstop. Kochetkov can’t bulk up his stats because the Hurricanes just don’t let the puck get through to him for easy saves. Carolina’s system forces him to make almost a quarter of his saves on “high-danger” chances. Since he doesn’t get the same volume, traditional counting stats can be unreliable.

The Mental Aspect

As of this point in the season, the Hurricanes lead the league in zone time. No team has spent more time in the offensive zone or less time in the defensive zone, according to NHL Edge. They’ve spent 46.7% of their 11 games in the offensive zone, and just 35.8% in the defensive zone. They were also the best team in zone time in the 2025-26 season according to Edge, so this isn’t new for Carolina.

The puck is never near the goalie. Defending the Hurricanes’ net is a unique challenge because the goaltender is almost too well insulated. It’s not uncommon for Carolina to go entire periods without giving up a shot because their suppression is so good. That creates a very difficult mental battle. Staying switched on when the Hurricanes are camped out 200 feet away can be challenging. You don’t get the same feel for the puck. You’ll often hear Hurricanes analyst Tripp Tracy talk about that as a former goaltender, and he’s right.

Kochetkov tends to be at his best with a high shot volume. When the Hurricanes’ defence isn’t at the races, Kochetkov gives them their best chance to win. The more pucks he sees, the more comfortable he feels; it almost lifts his confidence and helps him settle in. He can go two to three games without seeing 30 shots cumulatively, so settling in can be challenging. This season, he’s started to look more confident taking the crease, which is a major key to his improvement.

Make no mistake: Kochetkov isn’t a candidate for the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the league’s best goaltender, but he’s been better than his counting stats suggest. That’s almost always the case in Carolina, simply because of how the team plays. For Kochetkov, the task now is to build. He’s got the runway to take the Hurricanes starting role. If he keeps performing at this level, he’ll make a strong case for being the guy when the playoffs start in April.