Regular Season, Game 26: Hurricanes at Edmonton Oilers

Tonight is big, not because it means much in the grand scheme of the standings, but because you’re playing the two best players in the league. The focus for the game is going to be on McDavid and Draisaitl, but the supporting cast for these two is equally as impressive. Players like Hyman, Nugent-Hopkins, Nurse, and Yamamoto are just as likely to get something going with those two playing around them. The Canes are on game three of the trip and this is the front end of a back-to-back with Vancouver tomorrow night. They scored a huge 2-1 overtime win in Calgary on Thursday night with huge efforts from Sebastian Aho and Jaccob Slavin. It’s been a while since these two met. It's been almost two years to the day since the Canes traveled to Edmonton. December 10, 2019, the Canes won 6-3, but I remember that game for Jordan Martinook scoring the game-winner and Dougie Hamilton scoring from center ice after fooling Mikko Koskinen and pretending to dump it around the boards. They met again in Raleigh the following February, a 4-3 overtime win for the Oilers. Sebastian Aho scored twice in each meeting that season. The Oilers are on a four-game slide, last losing to Boston on Thursday night. McDavid and Draisaitl are at the top of the league in most major offensive categories, which is not a surprise to anyone that watched hockey. Koskinen will get the start tonight for the Oilers, as Frederik Andersen will make his third consecutive start, winning each of those games. It's a homecoming game for Ethan Bear, while Capitals killer Warren Foegele will be on the opposing side for the first time. This is going to be a dog fight and I wouldn't be surprised if we see a lot of goals given the two teams involved. 

1st Period

Scoring

(CAR) 7:18- Sebastian Aho (14) PP (assisted by Vincent Trocheck (12) & Teuvo Teravainen (13))

Thoughts

This is what the Canes needed to do in the first period. The big guns were noticeable, but the Canes didn't allow them to get anything into the net. There were at least three good chances for McDavid in the period. Two of them were stopped by Andersen and the other was broken up by Brady Skjei. The Canes got the only power play of the first period and Sebastian Aho kept his streak going with his third straight goal for the team. In some respects, the Canes were a little lucky to end the period with the lead after the push from Edmonton late in the period, but Andersen made some huge stops. I expect the Oilers to get on the power play at some point and they have the best power play unit in the league. The game plan with the lead now is to not do anything stupid with your stick. No cross-checking penalties or anything dumb like that. This isn't going to get any easier. 

2nd Period

Scoring

(CAR) 6:19- Nino Niederreiter (6) (assisted by Sebastian Aho (17))

(EDM) 10:11- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (3) (assisted by Jesse Puljujarvi (12) & Darnell Nurse (12))

Thoughts

Each team had their chances and both teams managed to score in the period, but there were some major swings during this period. Nino's goal was a bit soft because Koskinen got a good chunk of it and it snuck through, but it gave the Canes a two-goal lead. The answer from the Oilers came in the form of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who beat Andersen clean all alone. Edmonton has put McDavid and Draisaitl together, which shows how desperate they are to score right now. The fourth line for the Canes had so many great chances, they just couldn't score. Lorentz and Kotkaniemi especially were in the middle of the action for the period. Trocheck had some good chances at the beginning of the period too. It was a solid period for the team, Mikko Koskinen just stopped most of the chances and has allowed Edmonton to stay in the game. 

3rd Period

Scoring

(CAR) 17:16- Sebastian Aho (15) (assisted by Teuvo Teravainen (14) & Ian Cole (3))

Thoughts

It got really tense there while it was a one-goal game, but it was a fortunate bounce that sealed the deal for the Canes. The Canes' kill was perfect against the best power play unit in the league and had a few chances of their own. When you're on fire, it seems like everything is going your way and that's exactly what happened on the Aho goal in the period. It was a simple dump in that Koskinen played poorly and it popped right out to Aho for his second goal and third point of the night. The Oilers kept the puck in their zone the rest of the game, but Andersen made two huge stops to preserve the lead and escape Edmonton with two points. The defense bent, but it did not break. 

Canes' Three Stars of the Game

Third Star- Vincent Trocheck (Assist in 500th NHL Game)

Props to Jaccob Slavin for another game around 30:00 TOI, but I'm giving the third star to Trocheck in his 500th NHL game. He logged the primary assist on the power play goal, but he had a few chances, especially in the second period. He played over 20 minutes tonight and while he only had two shots recorded, it felt like he was all over the ice at times. 

Second Star- Frederik Andersen (22 Saves on 23 Shots)

He had to face a lot late in the first and third periods and he was up for the challenge. He made three of four huge saves after the Aho goal made it 3-1, the two biggest being on Kassian and then with his toe right on the goal line. He remains perfect for the road trip and he gets to enjoy a day off tomorrow with yet another huge performance against a lethal Western Conference offense. 

First Star- Sebastian Aho (2 Goals, Assist)

I'm not quite sure how to sum up just how good Aho has been in December, but historic would be a good word for it. The power play goal was big, he set up the Nino goal with a great loft out of the defensive zone, and then put the game away by taking advantage of a mistake. Five straight multi-point games, tied for second-longest in Whalers/Hurricanes history, and he's been the difference-maker in all five games. 

Final Thoughts

I'm not saying the Canes deserve a trophy for holding McDavid and Draisaitl for zero points for 60 minutes, but they should get some serious praise for being one of few teams to do it. The Canes' superstar outplayed the Oilers' two, factoring in on every goal for the team. Frederik Andersen was huge late in the game and Jaccob Slavin made a million defensive plays to make sure they kept the Oilers off the board. It doesn't take a genius to point out just how well the team played tonight against a very good team. The focus shifts to Vancouver tomorrow night where we already know that Antti Raanta is going to get the start against a team going through some major changes. They've been good as of late, so I don't expect them to just roll over for the Canes. It feels like a bit of a potential trap game, but it's also the back end of a back-to-back. It was a great way to cap off my birthday. I'm at a loss for deep words since it's late, so I'll simply leave this by saying this was an impressive win.