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

The homestand continued for the Hurricanes as they battled the Edmonton Oilers on Thanksgiving Eve. Off an excellent 4-2 win on Saturday against Pittsburgh, the Canes looked to continue their hot start at home against a team lacking an identity. Despite having two of the best players in the world, Edmonton has started the season without much success. Having already made a coaching change, the Oilers traveled to Raleigh in the midst of a road trip that hadn't gotten off to a good start. Suffice it to say, things didn't get any easier in Raleigh. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CAR (9:17)- Jesper Fast (2) (assisted by Jordan Martinook (5) & Jalen Chatfield (2))

CAR (9:52)- Jack Drury (1) (assisted by Michael Bunting (7) & Dmitry Orlov (6))

CAR (11:23)- Teuvo Teravainen (10) (assisted by Sebastian Aho (11) & Seth Jarvis (7))

CAR (14:48)- Seth Jarvis (8) (assisted by Teuvo Teravainen (4) & Jalen Chatfield (3))

EDM (17:13)- Zach Hyman (9) PP (assisted by Leon Draisaitl (17) & Evan Bouchard (14))

2nd Period

CAR (2:13)- Martin Necas (6) (assisted by Andrei Svechnikov (6) & Brady Skjei (11))

EDM (17:48)- Mattias Ekholm (2) SH (assisted by Ryan McLeod (4) & Warren Foegele (5))

3rd Period

EDM (3:46)- Zach Hyman (10) (assisted by Connor McDavid (10) & Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (11))

CAR (18:56)- Brent Burns (5) SH-EN (assisted by Jordan Staal (5) & Jaccob Slavin (8))

My Thoughts

This was a weird game. There's no other way to describe it. Luckily, most of the weirdness went in the Hurricanes' favor in the best ways imaginable. In the immortal words of Stefon, this game had everything. The Canes scored four times in the first period, had to switch goalies in the second period, and then survived an onslaught in the third period. While there were a few rough moments, most of them were able to be overlooked by how great the first period was for the Canes. In the end, the Canes won, and that's about all I can ask for. 

If you told me before the game that the Staal and Drury lines would score goals tonight, I'd have called you crazy, especially since Jordan Staal's line was matched against Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Not a chance in this economy. The joke's on me because that's how the scoring started. Jalen Chatfield, returning to the lineup for the first time since the Florida game, made an immediate impact. His shot from the point hit Jordan Martinook, but it went right to Jesper Fast, who slid it past Stuart Skinner to get the Canes off and running. It took 35 seconds for the Canes to find another one. It was the most Jack Drury goal you could've imagined because it almost didn't happen. Drury got just enough of Michael Bunting's pass on a 2-on-1 after Evan Bouchard, the lone defenseman back, got his stick on the puck. It doesn't matter how much it gets over the line, just as long as the entire puck is in. Drury gets his first of the season, allowing us to all breathe a little easier. 

This was about when the top guys decided to take over the game. The Aho line's tenacious forecheck, led by Seth Jarvis, allowed the Canes to find their next goal. Jarvis disrupted an attempted pass around the boards. The puck found Sebastian Aho, and he found Teuvo Teravainen for a tap-in. Chatfield would show up again for the team's fourth goal. He took McDavid off the puck and found Teravainen. Jarvis found a soft spot behind the defense, received Teravainen's pass, and beat Skinner off the far post, giving Carolina four goals in 5:31. This would end Skinner's night, bringing Calvin Pickard into the game. The Oilers would get a goal on the power play to cut into the Canes' lead as Zach Hyman followed his shot to beat Antti Raanta. This sequence would prove consequential for Raanta and the Canes. While I'm not qualified to provide a medical opinion that matters, it looked like Raanta hurt something stopping the initial chance with his skate. He wouldn't be in the net to start the second period, forcing Pyotr Kochetkov into action as the backup goalies battled it out. 

Honestly, the rest of the game didn't live up to the first period. Martin Necas scored to extend the lead early in the second period, giving all four forward lines a goal in the game. We thought Aho had added a sixth goal during 4-on-4, but he was offside on the entry, taking another goal off the board. Edmonton would score short-handed late in the period to make it a three-goal game again. This was the one goal the Canes allowed tonight that looked bad. The power play was the only part of the team's game that didn't click. They went 0-for-5 with the man advantage and allowed a short-handed goal. With McDavid and Draisaitl split to start the third period, McDavid found the scoresheet, feeding Hyman for his second goal of the night shortly after he'd hit the post. Edmonton was at its best in the third, but Kochetkov was up to the task. He made some early saves to make the Hyman goal mean a little less. The penalty kill was also timely in the third. Necas took a penalty after Hyman's goal, but the kill stepped up to get the job done. With Pickard on the bench in the final minutes, the Canes took another penalty, but Brent Burns was able to send a backhander into the empty net off the draw to put Edmonton away for good. 

This game was closer than it needed to be down the stretch, but it also never felt like the Oilers were a legitimate threat to beat the Canes with how strongly they started the game. McDavid and Draisaitl can take over a game at the drop of a hat. Tonight, they rarely got that opportunity. The Staal line forced them to play defense for most of the first 40 minutes, so by the time they were split, they couldn't do enough to get Edmonton back into the game, no matter how hard they tried. Also, this loss can't squarely be put on Skinner's shoulders. He was good, but he didn't get much help. Jarvis' goal was a glaring example. He found enough space behind Vincent Desharnais to get free without any challenge. Yes, Skinner needs to stop that, but he wasn't put in a good spot. Speaking of not being in a good spot, Kochetkov made the best of a tough situation to help guide the team through the final 40 minutes. Raanta will be credited with the win, but Kochetkov was good when he needed to be. He was active with his stick, preventing a few great scoring chances. 

At the end of the night, the Hurricanes' stars played like it, making McDavid and Draisaitl afterthoughts in the game. The Canes had 15 players show up on the scoresheet tonight, with only three players having multi-point nights. Everyone did their jobs to contribute to the win, including both goalies. It's starting to feel like the Hurricanes are finding their groove, winning eight of their last 11 games. Granted, they've played most of those games at home in front of raucous crowds. We could dwell on the power play's struggles tonight, but it's overshadowed by the phenomenal effort throughout the lineup. I'm going to enjoy this win all day on Thanksgiving before getting back into the right mindset for Friday's game. 

My Three Stars of the Game

3rd Star- Teuvo Teravainen- 1 goal, 1 assist

Teravainen's playmaking ability is starting to show up again. After a two-assist effort against the Penguins, he recorded another multi-point night, becoming the first Hurricanes to reach ten goals tonight. He added his third assist in two games with a great stretch pass to set up Jarvis' goal. 

2nd Star- Jalen Chatfield- 2 assists

He hadn't played in about two weeks, but his impact was felt, especially in the first period. While both of his assists were secondary helpers, he made key plays to start both goals. His second assist was enormous, taking the puck away from McDavid to get the other assist on Jarvis' goal. 

1st Star- Seth Jarvis- 1 goal, 1 assist

The common thread in the 2nd and 3rd stars was Jarvis. It was unintentional, but that's how it ended up going. Like Teravainen, he had a great game against Pittsburgh, and he added to it tonight. Both points came in the first period, but they ended up being consequential. The beginning of his breakout season continues to be a joy to watch. 

Up Next- The Canes won't have to wait long for their next game. They'll be back in action on Friday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning, completing their season series with their first trip to Raleigh this season. The final game of the homestand will be on Sunday against Columbus. The month ends with a road game in Philadelphia and a game at PNC Arena against the Islanders.