"Hurricane Freddie": 2024-25 Regular Season, Game 5: Hurricanes at Edmonton Oilers

The Carolina Hurricanes begin their Pacific Northwest journey in Alberta for the first of two straight games in the province. Tuesday night saw them battle Connor McDavid and the defending Western Conference champions in Edmonton. The Oilers have gotten off to a slow start once again, but their firepower makes them one of the scariest teams to play on any given night. With plenty to play for after a 4-3 loss to the Blues on Saturday night, the Hurricanes needed to find a way to prevent the Oilers from breaking out on Tuesday.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

EDM (3:34)- Connor McDavid (2) (Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (3))

2nd Period

EDM (2:30)- Connor McDavid (3) PP (Leon Draisaitl (3) & Evan Bouchard (1))

3rd Period

CAR (0:46)- Shayne Gostisbehere (4) PP (Martin Necas (3) & Sebastian Aho (4))

CAR (13:29)- Martin Necas (2) (Eric Robinson (2) & Jesperi Kotkaniemi (4))

Overtime

CAR (4:53)- Sebastian Aho (2) (Martin Necas (4) & Shayne Gostisbehere (1))

My Thoughts

I have to formally thank my brother for his sacrifice after the second period. He decided to go to bed, knowing that the comeback was likely to happen once he fell asleep. For one of the few times in his life, he was correct. If I've said it once, I've said it a million times. This team never ceases to amaze me. Even when there are new faces, the same guys step up in big moments. They didn't quite keep Edmonton's stars silent, with Connor McDavid tallying both Oiler goals, but they did enough when it mattered to keep them from turning the game on its head. The Oilers had plenty of chances to extend their lead. Zach Hyman had two of their best chances in the final 25 minutes, being denied both times by former Toronto teammate Frederik Andersen.

Speaking of Andersen, last night's win isn't possible without him. I'm writing this on Wednesday morning, so I've had some time to think about his performance. The more I think about it, the better it gets. He was beaten on a perfect shot in the first period and probably should've stopped the power-play tally in the second, but it was his work in the third period and overtime that won this game. His start to the season has been very good. He's in the Top 10 in the league in save percentage and in the Top 5 in GAA after three excellent starts. He's picking up where he left off at the end of the regular season last year. 

Along with Andersen's performance, the trio of Martin Necas, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Sebastian Aho carried the load offensively. Necas led the charge with three points, contributing two primary assists and the game-tying goal. Gostisbehere scored his team-leading fourth goal in as many games, with the last three being on the power play. He also kickstarted the game-winner by winning a race to the puck and saucing it to Necas. Aho kept the puck in the zone to begin the power-play tally in the first minute of the third period before being the beneficiary of Necas' pass with 6.1 seconds left to complete the comeback and stun the Oilers' crowd. 

The aforementioned trio weren't the only ones who deserve praise. Last night was a strong game for Brent Burns, especially in the defensive end. He and Andrei Svechnikov saved a goal in the third period. Without needing to use his neck, Burns dropped down and forced a shot wide before Svechnikov jumped into the crease and kept the game 2-1. Eric Robinson and Jesperi Kotkaniemi also need some shine for their roles in the game-tying goal. Kotkaniemi made a good pass to Necas for the break-out before Robinson feathered a pass just out of the reach of the defender to find Necas for the tap-in. Kotkaniemi has quietly recorded four assists in the first five games, tying him with Aho for the team lead. 

Before the game, I talked about Stuart Skinner's struggles to begin the season. Naturally, he looked like the second coming of Dominik Hasek for most of the night. The save he made on Necas right before Gostisbehere scored was one of the most incredible saves I've ever seen. There's no reason why that shouldn't have gone in. He didn't have much time to celebrate it, but it was phenomenal. My lasting memory of this game will be Skinner lying face down on the ice after Aho's goal. Obviously, I'm glad the Canes won, but Skinner deserved better than what he got last night.

When We Meet Again- The Oilers will have to wait awhile to meet the Hurricanes. They'll be in Raleigh on March 1 to conclude the season series.

#RaiseUp First Star of the Game- Frederik Andersen

This felt like a two-horse race, but Frederik Andersen was the clear first star in my book. He was incredible, keeping the Oilers out of the net in the third period and withstanding several blitzes throughout the game. He has gotten the better of Pyotr Kochetkov in the goalie battle for now, putting in a trio of strong starts while allowing two goals or less in each. 

The Road Ahead- The Hurricanes will stick around Alberta, traveling south to face the Calgary Flames on Thursday night. Calgary has been scorching to begin the season, pun intended, leading the Pacific Division with their 5-0-1 record. Then, the Canes will return to the US for a quick visit in Seattle before concluding the road trip in Vancouver next Monday. Their next home game will be on Halloween against the Bruins.