2022-23 Regular Season, Game 4: Hurricanes at Edmonton Oilers

You couldn't ask for a better start to the season than the Hurricanes have had through three games. After winning their home opener last Wednesday, the team has taken the first two legs of their trip out west. They started in San Jose with a 2-1 win and then smoked Seattle 5-1 on Monday night. Sebastian Aho (G, 2A) and Andrei Svechnikov (2G, A) each recorded three points, Martin Necas extended his season-opening point streak to three games with an assist, Stefan Noesen (2A) and Brent Burns (A) each notched their first points as Hurricanes, the power play scored twice, and Frederik Andersen made 22 saves in the victory. It was a total team effort for 60 minutes. Tonight, the real work begins as the Hurricanes make their first stop in Canada for the season as they face two of the best in the game in Edmonton. The Canes know what to expect from two of the most dynamic players in the world but even when you plan for them, it's hard to stop this Oilers offense. The real focus will be on the defense tonight as one of the league's staunchest defenses prepares for war. 

Projected Lines/Pairs

Teuvo Teravainen-Sebastian Aho-Seth Jarvis

Andrei Svechnikov-Jesperi Kotkaniemi-Martin Necas

Paul Stastny-Jordan Staal-Jesper Fast

Jordan Martinook-Derek Stepan-Stefan Noesen

Jaccob Slavin-Brent Burns

Brady Skjei-Brett Pesce

Calvin de Haan-Jalen Chatfield

Frederik Andersen

Antti Raanta

Extras: Ondrej Kase (concussion protocol), Dylan Coghlan (healthy), Ethan Bear (healthy)

There is only one change to the lineup tonight as Calvin de Haan will draw back in for Dylan Coghlan. I thought Coghlan was fine in Seattle, but de Haan and Chatfield worked well together in the season's first two games. No changes to the forward group that has been playing very well through three games, so no need to fix something that isn't broken. Frederik Andersen will make his second straight start and his third overall of the season. He's allowed two goals in two games and looks to continue this momentum into tonight's start against the best offense the Canes have seen thus far. 

Tonight's Opponent: Edmonton Oilers (1-2-0, 2 points, 5th in the Pacific)

Though they're just three games into the season, only having one win is a bit of a surprise for the Oilers. After falling behind to the Canucks 2-0 in the first 2:40 of their opener, the Oilers scored five straight goals, including three on the power play, one short-handed, and three for Connor McDavid, to get the win 5-3. In typical Edmonton fashion, a handful of players did all the work. That strategy didn't work in their next game in a rematch of the Battle of Alberta won by Edmonton in the second round of the postseason. Calgary scored four goals in the first period and held on to beat the Oilers 4-3 in regulation. They then lost 4-2 to Buffalo at home on Tuesday night, despite putting 48 shots on Eric Comrie. McDavid and Draisaitl each have six points and have found the scoresheet in all three games. Outside of them and Darnell Nurse, there hasn't been too much support. The defense and goaltending have struggled to keep pucks out of the net. It has been a slow start for sure but if there's one thing we've learned about the Oilers, they can flip a switch in no time. They showed it during their win over Vancouver and again numerous times in the last few seasons. It's very early in the season, so there's no doubt they can right the ship and turn it around. 

Last Season v. Carolina- The Canes swept the two meetings between the teams last season with one common thread across both games. Neither McDavid nor Draisaitl recorded a point in either meeting for the Oilers. It was the Sebastian Aho Show when they first met in Edmonton last December. He scored twice and assisted on the only other goal for the Canes that night as Frederik Andersen stopped 22 shots in a 3-1 victory. McDavid actually missed a significant chunk of time when they met again in February after losing a tooth. He'd come back into the game but still couldn't find anything. Teuvo Teravainen and Andrei Svechnikov were on that day, recording two points each, and Aho scored another goal as the Canes held on for a 2-1 victory. 

Edmonton's Starting Goalie- Jack Campbell- After signing with the Oilers in the offseason, the season hasn't gotten off to the way Campbell wanted it to. While he won his first start, he gave up two goals quick and three in the game. Then, he was pulled just over ten minutes into the first period after allowing four goals against Calgary. Campbell only faced the Canes once last season with Toronto, allowing three foals in a 4-1 loss. He is 0-3-0 in four games against the Canes, though his save percentage and goals-against average are both very good. 

Edmonton Player to Watch- Evander Kane- Alongside the stars of the Oilers, Kane was almost unstoppable during the postseason. He tied for the league lead in goals with 13 and was huge in their series wins over Los Angeles and Calgary. Thus far this season, he's managed just two assists in three games and hasn't quite found his scoring touch. To put it in Layman's terms, he's due. While I don't want it to be tonight, he could be buzzing a little bit extra tonight as he tries to find the back of the net. He'll be one to keep a close eye on along with McDavid and Draisaitl. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

(EDM) 8:22- Zach Hyman (1) PP (assisted by Tyson Barrie (2) & Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (1))

2nd Period

(CAR) 1:38- Andrei Svechnikov (4) (assisted by Sebastian Aho (3) & Jaccob Slavin (2))

(EDM) 8:20- Ryan McLeod (2) SH (assisted by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2) & Evan Bouchard (1))

(EDM) 10:21- Evander Kane (1) (assisted by Connor McDavid (3))

(CAR) 12:35- Andrei Svechnikov (5) (assisted by Martin Necas (4) & Brent Burns (2))

3rd Period

(EDM) 1:24- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2) (assisted by Zach Hyman (3) & Connor McDavid (3))

(CAR) 3:38- Andrei Svechnikov (6) PP (assisted by Sebastian Aho (4) & Stefan Noesen (3))

(EDM) 5:16- Leon Draisaitl (2) PP (assisted by Connor McDavid (4) & Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (3))

(CAR) 8:55- Martin Necas (3) PP (assisted by Sebastian Aho (5) & Brent Burns (3))

(EDM) 19:51- Connor McDavid (5) EN (assisted by Leon Draisaitl (6))

Let's Talk About the Game

Instead of looking at this game period-by-period like I did the first three games, I want to dissect some things that I saw from both sides during the game. When breaking down this game, it was actually very even. At 5-on-5, the teams were tied 2-2. On the power play, the teams were tied 2-2. The single difference from the score breakdown, other than the empty-net goal from Connor McDavid, was the short-handed goal that the Canes allowed to Ryan McLeod at the beginning of the second period. If that goal doesn't happen, we're looking at the game possibly being 4-4 and each team is guaranteed a point. That one goal changes the entire complexion of the game. Obviously, there are lots of other factors that would contribute to the Canes' loss, but it's hard to ignore this one thing. 

In recent years, the Canes have had this knack for allowing a handful of players to beat them. Dallas and Toronto are the first examples that come to mind. They'd done a good job of not allowing the Oilers' stars to dictate play in their two games last season. On this night, such would not be the case. McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each had four points. Zach Hyman and Leon Draisaitl each added two points. Four other players recorded points, but the fact remains that four players combined for 12 total points, including four of their six goals. Even more frustrating is that Jack Campbell wasn't great, but was extremely timely. There are two specific instances that come to mind. The first came in the second period. Right after Evander Kane made it 3-1, the Canes' hottest line took the ice and they instantly went on the attack. Martin Necas put a beautiful saucer feed onto the stick of Jesperi Kotkaniemi with tons of net to shoot at, but Campbell gets over to make a magnificent save. He then follows it up with a great save on Necas on the other side. The other save was the breakaway save on Sebastian Aho with the Canes' net empty late in the third period. The Canes had their chances to tie this game, but Campbell's timeliness certainly helped the Oilers stay afloat. 

Despite the loss, there were still some positives for the Canes. The obvious story of the night was the hat trick from Andrei Svechnikov, scoring twice in the second period before finishing the job with a goal on the power play in the third. While getting three goals is huge, what's even more important was when they happened. The first goal was at the beginning of the second, tying the game 1-1. His second was towards the end of the period, giving Canes momentum again as they went into the third period down a goal. The final goal was just over two minutes after Edmonton had re-gained their two-goal lead and gave the Canes a response on the power play. It's his second hat trick in the NHL and his first in the regular season, his first happening during the 2020 postseason in the Toronto bubble. Aho and Necas also stayed hot with their performances tonight. Aho picked up three assists, giving him two straight three-point games. Necas assisted on Svechnikov's second goal, then scored on the power play in the third to pull the Canes back within a goal for the third time. Brent Burns had two more assists and I thought Jalen Chatfield was especially good, coming extremely close to scoring his first goal. I've seen a lot of people talk about Frederik Andersen's performance after allowing five goals. Honestly, I only put two goals on him. Goals when the Canes are on the kill are tough because it's a built-in advantage for the opponent. The McLeod goal was a 2-on-1 and those are also tough. He got enough of the Kane goal that he probably should've stopped it and the Nugent-Hopkins goal goes without saying. It's one start early in the season. If it becomes a normal occurrence, then we can worry. 

There are still plenty of concerns that I have after this loss and they don't necessarily begin with the loss tonight. My biggest concern right now is Teuvo Teravainen. He's usually a consistent force for the offense, but he's fighting himself right now from the looks of it. He only has one assist through four games and he had a brilliant chance tonight to score short-handed with Campbell well out of position that he put wide. I might be reading too much into it, but it's hard to ignore. I'm also curious about the lack of scoring for the third line. We knew coming into the season that Jordan Staal and Jesper Fast weren't going to light up the nets, but they've been silent thus far. We saw a shake-up to the bottom two lines with Jordan Martinook swapping spots with Paul Stastny for the second and third periods. There are some other small things, like the play of the penalty kill and the short-handed goal allowed, are things that I'm watching moving forward. 

Canes' Three Stars of the Game

Third Star- Martin Necas (Goal, Assist)

To say that Necas is the surprise of the early season would be an understatement. Though four games, he's not had a bad night, picking up his second multi-point night with a goal and an assist tonight. The goal on the power play was very pretty, getting some help from Aho on the setup. I'm not sure whether it's the elevated role or who he's playing with, but it's fun to watch him play regardless. 

Second Star- Sebastian Aho (3 Assists)

While he might not have outscored McDavid tonight, he still had an excellent night setting up his teammates. All three of his helpers were primary assists and none of them were alike. I've already mentioned the assist to Necas, but the play he made to set up Svechnikov's third goal was all about hard work off the draw. He has come to play on this trip.

First Star- Andrei Svechnikov (First Regular-Season Hat Trick)

There really was no doubt who the start of tonight's game was for the Hurricanes. Hat tricks aren't something we get to experience very often. If it happens once a season, it's considered a gift. All three of his goals were very timely, even if it didn't matter at the end of the day. He's at the top of the league in goals early in the season and he's primed to be the Hurricanes' second 40-goal scorer. 

What's Next

There is no rest for the weary as the Canes continue their road trip with a visit to the other Alberta team in Calgary. The Flames lost their first game of the season tonight as well, allowing six goals to the Buffalo Sabres with Dan Vladar in the net. They had a very interesting offseason yet they haven't missed a beat through four games. Nazem Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau have joined the team and are already fitting in. Jacob Markstrom, a Vezina finalist last season, hasn't been as sharp in three starts. These two played one tight game and one blowout last season, both going in the favor of the Canes as both won their respective divisions. Both teams are going to be looking to rebound from tough losses, so expect a lot of energy from this one on Saturday night.