2023-24 Regular Season, Game 25: Hurricanes at Edmonton Oilers (Pregame)

The start of the Hurricanes' six-game road trip didn't quite go as expected. The Canes dropped a 2-1 decision to the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night despite an excellent bounce-back performance by Antti Raanta. All of the Jets' damage came from the line of Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, and Nikolaj Ehlers. Connor and Ehlers had a goal and an assist each, while Scheifele assisted on both goals. Martin Necas picked up the Canes' long tally of the night, finishing a wrap-around with a little help from Dylan DeMelo's skate. Raanta did all he could to keep the Canes in the game, but Laurent Brossoit stood on his head down the stretch to halt the Canes' four-game point streak. Brossoit finished the game with 42 saves, allowing the Jets to pick up an important two points at home. 

The Opponent: Edmonton Oilers (9-12-1, 19 Points- 7th in the Pacific Division)

Last Meeting- The Canes and Oilers met exactly two weeks ago in Raleigh. The early stages of the game were dominated by the Hurricanes. Jesper Fast and Jack Drury scored 35 seconds apart before the midway point of the first period. Teuvo Teravainen and Seth Jarvis would add to the fun, ending Stuart Skinner's night at 14:48. Zach Hyman would get the Oilers on the board with a goal on the power play, cutting the Canes' lead to 4-1 before the break. Martin Necas re-established the four-goal lead early in the second period, but Mattias Ekholm would get one while short-handed to make it 5-2 going into the third. Hyman's second of the night would give the Oilers a little life. However, that's as close as they'd get. Brent Burns buried a short-handed empty-netter to secure a 6-3 win for the Canes. Antti Raanta started the game for the Canes but had to leave after the first period with a lower-body injury. Pyotr Kochetkov relieved him and played the final 40 minutes. 

Since We Last Met- Since losing in Raleigh, the Oilers haven't done it again. They've only played four games, and they've won all four. In wins over Washington, Anaheim, Vegas, and St. Louis, the Oilers outscored their opponents 21-7. Connor McDavid has started to return to form, scoring 13 points over the last four games. He's tied with Nikita Kucherov with 13 points in the last two weeks, and he's done it in two fewer games. Stuart Skinner has also turned things around, going 4-0-0 with a 1.72 GAA and a shutout. They've converted on nearly half of their power plays and have killed 15 of their 16 penalties. The difference is night and day under Kris Knoblauch, who is 6-3-0 since taking over behind the bench. 

Stories of the Night

1. Winning in Edmonton Isn't Impossible

On the surface, this statement seems pretty obvious. Of course, it isn't impossible to win in Edmonton. After all, the Oilers have only won half of their home games this season. What I think this really means is that it's possible to shut down McDavid and Draisaitl at 5-on-5, even without a favorable matchup. The Canes have had quite a bit of success against the Oilers in Edmonton recently, winning four of their last five. They've also scored at least four goals in four of the last five meetings up north. The emphasis will be to stop their first two lines and not take any unnecessary penalties. It's easy to write those words or preach them to a team. It'll be much tougher in practice and execution. 

2. Don't Let Edmonton's PP Dominate

This is another no-brainer. The Oilers have been on a roll with the man advantage. As noted, they've been especially hot of late, finishing nearly half of their chances on the power play. Overall, their power play is sixth in the league at 26.6%. They also have the fifth-best power play at home at 27%. The Canes' penalty kill is improving but is still only 21st in the league at 77.2%. The Oilers were 1-for-4 during the meeting in Raleigh, but that one goal came almost immediately after the power play began. Any hope of success begins with the Canes controlling the Oilers' stars. Giving them chance after chance with the man advantage is destined to backfire. 

3. Long Layoff for Red-Hot Oilers

While they've won four straight games, the Oilers haven't played since last Thursday. The Canes have played twice during that time. One thing to watch is how the Oilers look coming out of the gate because a long layoff can either be really good or really bad. We've seen it play out both ways for the Hurricanes this season. Personally, I think it could hurt the momentum they've built over the last week. They were playing great hockey as they tried to claw their way back into the playoff race. Five days off is a long time, especially in hockey. That'll be something to watch early on.