With the fanfare, or lack thereof, from Friday's trade deadline over, the Carolina Hurricanes got back to business on the ice for the third stop of their trip in Edmonton. While it was a relatively quiet day for the team on the trade front, they knew they'd have their hands full if they wanted to beat the Oilers, especially after a less-than-stellar defensive effort in a 6-4 win over the Canucks on Wednesday.
For the first half of the back-to-back, the Hurricanes sent Frederik Andersen into the crease. He picked up the loss to open the trip in Seattle. Mark Jankowski returned to the lineup after one game in the press box, replacing Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Tristan Jarry took the start for the Oilers, hoping that his familiarity with the Canes as a former Penguin could serve him well tonight.
Despite a decent start, the Oilers got the opening goal. Connor McDavid made an all-galaxy stretch pass to spring Zach Hyman for a breakaway, and he buried it on the backhand. The Canes responded quickly. Just 37 seconds later, Shayne Gostisbehere hammered a clapper home after Jarry lost an edge. Nikolaj Ehlers stayed hot, too, snapping one from the point to put the Canes up 2-1 after 20.
The Canes extended the lead early in the second. Ehlers made a great pass from behind the net to find Jordan Martinook. The Alberta native put it home to make it a two-goal game. Edmonton responded quickly. Vasily Podkolzin put it in from a sharp angle, catching Andersen off his post. The Canes had great chances for the remainder of the period, but the lead stuck at one at the break.
Once more, the Canes pushed their advantage to two. During a delayed penalty, they maintained possession and found Jackson Blake for a one-timer to make it 4-2. Edmonton shrank the lead on the power play, with Hyman picking up his second of the night. Fortunately, they didn't tie it. Jordan Staal scored into the empty net, and Blake added one more for insurance to earn a great 6-3 road win.
The Canes' defense did a number on the Oilers' stars
After the way they played in Vancouver, I was very worried about how the Canes would look against a much more dangerous team. Those concerns turned out to be completely unfounded because this was a terrific rebound effort. While the scoreboard shows three goals against, it really didn't tell the entire story, especially when talking about how they shut down Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
While both McDavid and Draisaitl found the scoresheet with assists, the defensemen had their sticks in the lane to break up numerous odd-man chances and limit their impact. Jaccob Slavin and Jalen Chatfield played a lot of hockey tonight, skating over 25 minutes each. K'Andre Miller played 22:33 and had three assists. Alexander Nikishin also had a sneaky good defensive game.
The offense continues its strong play in Canada
The Hurricanes clearly didn't like being held to one goal against the Kraken because they've played with a purpose in the offensive end since Monday's loss. They've scored six goals in each of the last two games, and they're coming from everywhere in the lineup. Tonight, five players contributed to the party, and 12 players had at least one point, including the netminder.
Each member of the Staal line found the back of the net, with Ehlers scoring his fifth in as many games to hit 20 before setting up Martinook in the second to break a goalless drought. Jordan Staal had the dagger as he chases 20 goals. Jackson Blake scored twice to set his new personal best with his 18th and 19th goals of the season. It was an all-around outstanding effort for the Canes.
Additional Thoughts
Outside of the bad goal that he allowed to Podkolzin, Frederik Andersen had a pretty good night. I can't fault him for either of Hyman's goals, and he wasn't tested much during the third period. It's another game that the final save percentage is very misleading. All that matters is the win, which gives him points in seven of his last eight. Not to mention his assist on the empty-net goal.
The only big downer is that the Canes finished the night with five defensemen after Shayne Gostisbehere exited in the second period. He took a skate to the leg during the first but toughed it out to score a goal. However, he later exited and didn't return. Regardless of whether he's good to play in Calgary, it might be worth giving Mike Reilly a game so Gostisbehere can rest.
Up Next: The road trip ends on Saturday night in Calgary as the Carolina Hurricanes complete their Alberta swing. The Canes return to Raleigh afterward, with new addition Nicolas Deslauriers set to join the team at Monday's practice. Their first game back will be on Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins, who'll be without Evgeni Malkin after being handed a five-game suspension.