Thursday night will be a battle of ideological differences in Edmonton. The Carolina Hurricanes, even with the current state of their roster, are one of the deepest teams in the league, and they rely on it to win games. The Edmonton Oilers feature a top-heavy lineup that can beat you by themselves. In the Canes' penultimate stop before heading home, they'll face their toughest battle of the year.
The Canes allowed the Canucks to stick around a little longer than they needed to on Tuesday, allowing three one-goal leads to disappear. However, they finally pulled away for good in the third, scoring three times to win, 6-3. Logan Stankoven, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Nicolas Deslauriers scored twice each, with the second line combining for nine points, while Pyotr Kochetkov improved to 6-0-0.
The Hurricanes and the Oilers split their season series last year, with the Canes owning a slight 3-2 edge in points. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl had three points each, with Draisaitl scoring the winner in overtime when Edmonton visited Raleigh in November. Jackson Blake responded with a two-goal performance in Edmonton in March, helping the Canes earn a 6-3 victory on the road.
Behind Enemy Lines: Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers have a three-headed monster that hardly anyone in the league can handle. Even when you think they have them under control, they still find ways to contribute. After all, they have the league's leading scorer, Connor McDavid, one of the best playmakers in the world, Leon Draisaitl, and an offensive defenseman putting up ungodly numbers, Evan Bouchard.
McDavid has seven more assists than anyone in the league, breaking the NHL record for the fewest games to 20 assists. He has eight more points than anyone else (26), with Bouchard currently sitting tied for second (18). Along with Vasily Podkolzin, the four have combined for over 68 percent of Edmonton's goals and over 69 percent of the points.
That, of course, is where some of their problems lie as well. After Podkolzin, who is fourth on the team with 12 points, no one else has more than five. Their offense is insane. Their defense is average. Their power play is outstanding. Their penalty kill is okay. Their star power is unmatched. Their depth can be lacking at times. The bulk of the production comes from up top, and that can only get you so far.
Injury Report
Carolina: The Canes are still without Jordan Staal (1-2 months), Taylor Hall (week-to-week), and Mark Jankowski (undisclosed), with two stops remaining on the trip. You'll notice that I've left off one of the other injured players, but you can read more about him below.
Edmonton: There's a good chance that the Canes won't face former netminder Frederik Andersen this season as he recovers from a knee injury. However, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will likely make his season debut, and Jason Dickinson is close to returning, too. Mattias Janmark, Matt Savoie, and Alec Regula are also out for the Oilers.
Players to Watch
Evan Bouchard: It is way too early to be talking about trophy races, but Bouchard has been nearly unstoppable to begin the season. He leads all defensemen in goals (7) and points (16), recording at least one point in all but one game this season. Bouchard celebrated his 27th birthday on Tuesday by scoring the overtime winner against Minnesota. Does he have anything in store for an encore?
Vasily Podkolzin: Whenever you play with two of the best players in the world, you're bound to see an uptick in production. Until recently, Podkolzin led the Oilers in goals, and his seven tucks are still near the top of the league. He has multiple points in four of his nine games this year. Podkolzin had a breakout year last season, and he's well on his way to besting those numbers.
Nikolaj Ehlers: This road trip has gone well for Ehlers. He scored the game-winning goal in the third period against Winnipeg on Saturday, his first of the season, before moving to the second line and putting together a two-goal, three-point contest on Tuesday in Vancouver. I assume that the lines will remain in place for tonight's contest, so the second line could be a problem again.
Seth Jarvis: Rod Brind'Amour wouldn't divulge whether Jarvis will play in Edmonton or not. However, the team sent Bradly Nadeau back to the AHL, and Jarvis was a regular next to Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jordan Martinook at practice on Wednesday. All of the signs point to his return, so I'll take that chance and have him as one of the guys to watch as he makes his season debut.
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