2025-26 Regular Season, Game 18 Preview: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Edmonton Oilers

Last Game: It wasn't a pretty game for the Carolina Hurricanes, but they escaped with two points against the Vancouver Canucks on Friday night. The Canucks struck first as Max Sasson capitalized on an unfortunate collision to bury a breakaway on their first shot of the night. Andrei Svechnikov got it right back by finishing a beautiful passing play with his linemates. He doubled up less than a minute later, burying a one-timer on the power play to give the Canes the lead. The power play earned another chance to strike, but Sean Walker turned the puck over in the slot, allowing Elias Pettersson to score short-handed, tying the game less than 10 minutes in. The Canucks' power play gave them the lead early in the second. Conor Garland was on the spot to finish a pass from Brock Boeser. The Canes wouldn't find the tying goal until the third period. Svechnikov picked up his third point with a strong forecheck, finding Shaye Gostisbehere with a cross-seam pass before setting up Taylor Hall for a tap-in. With one point in the bag, the Canes endured a grueling start to overtime before finding the winner. Sebastian Aho put Pettersson in the spin cycle near the blue line, skating the puck into the slot and sniping it off the crossbar and in to claim the second point in a 4-3 win. 

Injury Report

Seth Jarvis: After exiting in the first period of Friday night's contest, catching a stick to the face, the early prognosis seems positive, though his status for tonight is uncertain.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi: He left late in the second period on Friday after blocking a shot, so I would expect Jankowski to step into his spot if he can't go.

Jaccob Slavin: When speaking to the media on Friday, GM Eric Tulsky said the team is being conservative with his injury, but that he is making progress.

Jalen Chatfield: He's still in concussion protocol, so there isn't much more to report.

The Opponent: Edmonton Oilers (8-7-4, 20 Points; 4th in the Pacific Division)

Last Season's Meetings: The Canes first battled the Oilers last October when they hit the road for their State Fair trip. Connor McDavid took over the early portion, scoring in the first and second periods to put the Oilers in a great spot. The Hurricanes responded in the third with goals by Shayne Gostisbehere and Martin Necas, sending the sides to overtime. Late in the session, the Canes claimed the second point after Sebastian Aho buried a one-timer past Stuart Skinner to earn a 3-2 victory. The Oilers visited Raleigh in March, and the tides turned for that encounter. Once again, Edmonton took a 2-0 lead into the third period, with Adam Henrique and Corey Perry providing the offense. The Canes got one back on an Aho PPG, but the Oilers held on this time around. Evan Bouchard scored into the empty net with under a second left to make it seem worse than it was. Calvin Pickard stopped 35 of 36 shots in a 3-1 win for the visitors. 

Since We Last Met: After making a second straight run to the Stanley Cup Final and coming up short against the Florida Panthers, this time falling in six games, many were concerned about Connor McDavid's long-term future in Edmonton, especially as he entered the final year of his contract. While McDavid continued to assert that he wanted to win in Edmonton, others were plotting where his next steps would be. The plotting came to a momentary end when he signed a two-year extension, keeping him in Edmonton through 2027. He was one of several Oilers to sign contracts, with Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, and Jake Walman all earning extensions, too. Add to it Hobey Baker finalist Isaac Howard from Tampa Bay, Andrew Mangiapane, and subtract Viktor Arvidsson and Evander Kane, and the Oilers appeared ready to roll. Offensively, things are rolling as expected. McDavid finds the scoresheet almost every night. Leon Draisaitl is putting pucks in the net. The power play converts at a high clip. There is plenty of high-end talent. While the team has lost Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for a short time, Zach Hyman is expected to make his season debut tonight. Their issues have been on defense, led by inconsistent play from Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard. Statistically, Pickard has been one of the worst goalies in the league, sporting an .830 save percentage and a 4.17 GAA in seven appearances. Skinner has been better, but that's a low bar to clear. 

Stories to Watch

1. A tired, depleted Canes team must stop McDavid and Draisaitl

That sentence sends a shiver down my spine just thinking about it. I talked about how important's contest was to get two points for this exact reason. Without their two best defensive defensemen, the Canes' defensive group has looked human on the defensive end over the last few games. With the speed the Oilers possess, they'll need to find a way to prevent the Oilers' stars from taking the game over. Part of that will be staying out of the box by being prepared for that speed and not taking lazy penalties. I don't think it's an impossible task, but we might have to just sit back and enjoy the wild ride we're in for tonight.

2. First to 5 wins?

While there might be concerns about the defensive side of the puck, we could be in for a track meet on Saturday night. The Oilers have the top-end weapons, but the Canes are one of the deepest offenses in the NHL, scoring the 3rd-most goals per game entering play. While the potential of Seth Jarvis missing the game is a damper for the Canes, there has been a "next man up" mentality that the team has been forced to adopt early in the season. Saturday night won't be any exception.