2024-25 Regular Season, Game 5 Preview: Hurricanes at Edmonton Oilers

The Carolina Hurricanes are in Alberta to begin the Pacific Northwest portion of their six-game road trip. They're coming off a 4-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night during the second half of a back-to-back that saw them win in Pittsburgh. The Canes completely dominated the Blues in the first period, outshooting them 19-4 and scoring the opening goal less than 90 seconds into the contest, courtesy of Andrei Svechnikov and the top line. The Blues worked their way back into the game in the second period before bowing it open with three goals in 3:09. Mathieu Joseph, Jake Neighbours, and Dylan Holloway put the Blues ahead while Joel Hofer was standing his ground. The Hurricanes got two early goals in the third period. Shayne Gostisbehere extended his goal streak to three games with a tally on the power play, and Jack Roslovic scored in his second straight shortly after to knot it up. An unfortunate fumble in the neutral zone by Martin Necas allowed Kasperi Kapanen to swoop in and retake the lead for St. Louis just over a minute after the Canes tied it. Hofer closed the door from there, finishing with 37 stops. Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho finished with two points each in the loss. 

The Opponent: Edmonton Oilers (2-4-0, 4 Points This Season)

 The first few weeks have not been kind to the defending Western Conference Champions. After coming close to doing the unthinkable in June, the 2024-25 Edmonton Oilers have sputtered out the gate. Then again, it's the same thing that happened last year and things turned out pretty good for them. They continue to be a team reliant on a few superstars without much help from their depth players. Connor McDavid (6 points) and Leon Draisaitl (5 points) sit atop the team in points but aren't dominating teams like they usually have. Zach Hyman doesn't have any points. Evan Bouchard only has one goal. They've managed just 12 goals as a team, while allowing 24 through six games. They've only converted once on 15 power play attempts, while their kill has allowed nine goals in 20 tries. The Oilers haven't found their groove yet. With their stars, it's only a matter of time before they get going. Hopefully, it isn't on Tuesday night.

Last Season's Meetings- The Hurricanes and the Oilers met twice in two weeks last season, with the home team winning each contest in convincing fashion. Their first meeting on November 22 in Raleigh saw the Hurricanes chase Stuart Skinner after scoring four goals in 5:31. Jesper Fast, Jack Drury, Teuvo Teravainen, and Seth Jarvis scored in the first period to give the Canes a commanding lead. Edmonton worked to make it 5-3 early in the third period, but that's as close as they got in a 6-3 victory for Carolina. The Canes had 15 players find the scoresheet in the win. The Oilers came out firing two weeks later on Pyotr Kochetkov. They scored twice in the first 41 seconds of the game and chased Kochetkov with a third goal at 5:46. Zach Hyman, who scored twice in Raleigh, scored three times in Edmonton to pace a 6-1 win for the Oilers. 

Stories of the Night

1. Jeff Skinner is an Edmonton Oiler

Edmonton's biggest move of the summer was signing Jeff Skinner to a one-year deal. After being drafted and winning the Calder in Carolina, Skinner spent the last several seasons in Buffalo before being bought out of the final three years of his deal this summer by the Sabres. Skinner has been one of the few bright spots for the Oilers to begin the season, scoring a pair of goals and four points in six contests. He's in search of his first postseason appearance, having failed to reach it with the Canes and the Sabres. While it was weird to see him in a Sabres uniform, it'll be even weirder seeing him in an Oilers uniform.

2. A Disturbing Pattern for the Other Skinner

Jeff Skinner isn't the only Skinner on the team. Goalie Stuart Skinner's start has been far less graceful. His first few starts have been vaguely reminiscent to his start last season. Through four starts, Skinner has a 1-3-0 record with a .851 save percentage and a 4.03 GAA. Last season, Skinner began the season 1-5-1 in eight games, and his save percentage was around the same. He went on to be the league's best goalie for the next two months to help the Oilers turn things around, but this isn't a habit a perennial Stanley Cup favorite wants to consistently get into.

3. Continue to Keep the Stars in Check

When the Hurricanes lost to the Bolts on Opening Night, it was only a handful of players who beat them. Since then, the Canes have done a great job of keeping the Devils', Penguins', and Blues' top lines in check. Jack Hughes was largely a non-factor. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin had zero shots. The Blues' top guys weren't responsible for their comeback on Saturday. The matchups have worked in the Canes' favor. Against the Oilers, there is a chance Kris Knoblauch decides to put his top guys (Hyman-McDavid-Draisaitl) together, giving them one super line. It makes defending the other three lines a little easier, but the group against the McDavid line could be in for a long night.