Recap and Rank ‘Em: Carolina Hurricanes Outlast Edmonton Oilers in 2-1 Victory

The Carolina Hurricanes earned a crucial two points against the Edmonton Oilers, thanks to a third period go-ahead goal from their hottest scorer of late. But from the beginning, the two teams were evenly matched as the momentum swung back and forth.

In the first period, the Canes struck halfway through in the person of Jordan Staal, after a Sebastian Aho pass threaded through defenders to Jaccob Slavin, who then sent it to the goal line for Elias Lindholm to redirect for Staal’s one-timer in the slot.

The remainder of the first period went goal-less, with the Oilers carrying play—and a 6-1 shot advantage—after the Canes took the lead. In the second, though, Connor McDavid tied things up with a breakaway from the blue line and a nifty backhand over the glove of Cam Ward.

In the third, Carolina began to take back control, earning their first power play of the game when Jordan Eberle was called for tripping Ron Hainsey behind the net.

The power play opportunity was then converted into a goal by a Sebastian Aho laser beam to the top corner.

The power play as a whole was clicking efficiently in the lone scenario, as they were passing and finding shooting lanes with ease—Aho’s goal seemed inevitable.

From this point on, the Hurricanes dictated the pace of play, especially in the final four minutes. Edmonton had a few chances—most notably a Leon Draisaitl shot off the far post from in tight—but the Canes shut them down for the majority of the frame.

Credit defensemen Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce for their role in keeping McDavid (relatively) quiet, as he struggled to create chances with 74/22 on the ice. His lone goal came on a line mismatch.

Cam Ward made 24 saves and earned the win for the Hurricanes, while Cam Talbot took a loss and made 21 saves of his own.

The Hurricanes now head into a three-game road swing, starting tomorrow night against the Islanders. Our own Kyle Morton will be at Barclays Center, so be sure to give him a follow on Twitter.

Rank the Performances

Here’s your chance to weigh in on how you think the team performed tonight. Upvote the players you think played well and downvote the ones who didn’t.