2023-24 Regular Season, Game 18: Hurricanes vs. Edmonton Oilers (Pregame)

The Carolina Hurricanes bounced back from a lousy performance on Wednesday night against the Flyers with a strong team performance against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. The Canes were snake-bitten early, hitting two posts and having Grade A chances denied by Tristan Jarry. This allowed the Penguins to get on the board first as Sidney Crosby put home a shot from the side of the net to lead 1-0 after the first. The Canes got the goal back in the second period on a beautiful passing play between Seth Jarvis, Teuvo Teravainen, and Sebastian Aho. Teravainen put the puck in a perfect spot for Aho, allowing him to beat Jarry's outstretched glove. Brent Burns gave the Canes their first lead of the game early in the third period. Andrei Svechnikov thought he'd added to the lead, but it was ruled Martin Necas was offside prior to the goal. The Penguins responded shortly after as Crosby put home a bouncing puck. The game wouldn't remain tied for long as Jaccob Slavin walked down from the point and found Jarvis's open stick for an easy tap-in. Jarvis would add an empty-netter on the power play to provide some insurance as the Canes won 4-2. Antti Raanta was phenomenal, making some incredible stops to keep the Canes in a position to get the job done. 

The Opponent: Edmonton Oilers (5-11-1, 11 Points- 7th in the Pacific Division)

It has been a start to forget for the Edmonton Oilers. After another exit in the 2nd Round a season ago, the Oilers remained quiet in the offseason, adding Connor Brown and Drake Caggiula but no one else. For a top-heavy team like the Oilers, you know what you're getting from them. They need the others around them to perform and carry their share. If the stars aren't performing, then you've got an enormous problem. After winning the Hart Trophy, Connor McDavid has just 15 points in 15 games. They have six players with at least 13 points, led by Leon Draisaitl's 22, but there has been little help after that. The biggest problem has been their goaltending. Jack Campbell started so poorly that he was put on waivers and sent to the AHL. Stuart Skinner hasn't been much better, sporting a .873 SV% and a 3.39 GAA. With the Oilers ranking 27th in goals and 26th in goals against, the team made a change behind the bench, firing Jay Woodcroft after a 3-9-1 start and hiring Kris Knoblauch. The Oilers are 2-2-0 since the change. They lost to the Panthers in Sunrise on Monday night. McDavid scored twice, including a successful penalty shot in the second period, but Florida scored three unanswered goals to take the 5-3 win. Calvin Pickard stopped 27 shots in his Oilers debut, taking the loss. Raleigh is the third stop of a four-game road trip for Edmonton. 

Last Season's Meetings- The Hurricanes and Oilers split the season series, with the home team winning each game. The common thread in both games was Andrei Svechnikov scoring a hat trick. The Canes were in Edmonton early in the season, and special teams were the story of the night. Edmonton scored twice on the power play and once short-handed. Four points each from Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins were enough to squash Svechnikov's hat trick in an Oilers' 6-4 victory, handing Carolina its first loss of the season. The Oilers came to Raleigh in early December, and the Canes dominated. Svechnikov scored three more goals, and each member of the Staal line found the back of the net as the Canes cruised to a 7-2 win. 

Stories of the Night

1. Coming Back From Another Long Layoff

The schedule for November has been spread out thus far, with only one back-to-back and several extended periods between games. This is just their fourth game in 12 days. They had a four-day break between the Tampa game and the Philly game, and things didn't go well against the Flyers. The Canes looked flat, sloppy with the puck, and were handed a decisive loss. The team responded with an excellent win against the Penguins. I'm not sure what made the team play so poorly after the long layoff, but the goal is to not repeat it against the Oilers. 

2. Can the Canes Contain McDavid & Draisaitl Before They Get Going?

Since the Oilers drafted Connor McDavid in 2015, Edmonton is just 5-9-0 against the Hurricanes. In 11 meetings, McDavid has 14 points, while Leon Draisaitl has 17 points in 14 games. Outside of them, only Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has more than five points in an Oilers uniform against Carolina. While most teams aren't able to beat you with just two players, Edmonton can, even if their record isn't showing it this season. With this game being played in Raleigh, the Hurricanes should be able to control the matchups against both of Edmonton's stars. If the Canes want to win this game, keeping them under wraps will be paramount. 

3. A Hat Trick of Hat Tricks for Svechnikov?

This is a fun storyline to watch for the game. Andrei Svechnikov is still looking for his first goal of the season after having one called back against Pittsburgh. Who better to score his first official goal against than the team he scored against six times last season? The odds of him doing it a third time in a row are astronomical, but it'd be cool to see it happen again.