The Edmonton Oilers will continue their search for consistency when they host the Carolina Hurricanes Tuesday night.
After opening the season with three losses, the Stanley Cup favorites won twice before dropping a 4-1 decision at the Dallas Stars on Saturday.
Edmonton controlled the opening period against Dallas but allowed a late power-play goal in the second period and soon fell behind 3-0 in the third. The Oilers’ score didn’t come until Leon Draisaitl’s 6-on-5 tally with 2:22 left in the game. The Stars added an empty-netter 23 seconds later.
“I thought we were really good at the start of the game,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. “I thought the turning point was when they had their first power play. The first 20 (minutes) definitely, our pace was good, we were checking really well, and just couldn’t capitalize. Just couldn’t get the puck in the net.”
Draisaitl’s goal was his 350th NHL score. Stuart Skinner made 20 saves for the Oilers, while Connor McDavid had an assist to extend his scoring streak to five games (one goal, five assists).
A problem for Edmonton thus far has been its power play, usually a strength. The Oilers have failed 11 straight times with a man up after going 0-for-2 against Dallas.
“We’re at the point where we have to be considering making some adjustments to it,” Knoblauch told the Edmonton Journal. “Every power play is going to go through a stretch of not scoring. But we’ve gone six games now and we’re 1-for-15. I’m not sure if we do it right away, but it’s something that’s on our minds.”
The Oilers are also dealing with individual scoring droughts. Forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has not scored a goal through six games and Zach Hyman (54 goals last season) has not registered a point.
Carolina, meanwhile, has split the first two games of a six-game road trip. On Saturday the Hurricanes dropped a 4-3 decision to the St. Louis Blues despite outshooting the hosts 40-19.
“It’s a tough loss. We probably deserved better because we played pretty well. It is what it is, but you’re going to have to move on,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “In general, you’ve got to like what we did tonight. I don’t know what the chances wound up, but I’m sure it was pretty lopsided. It certainly felt that way. We were doing a lot of good things, a couple just didn’t go our way and we weren’t able to score.”
Andrei Svechnikov had a goal and an assist, Sebastian Aho had two assists and Pyotr Kochetkov made 15 saves for the Hurricanes. Carolina erased a 3-1 third-period deficit with two goals in a 1:18 span before the Blues struck for the game-winner at 4:26.
Shayne Gostisbehere recorded a goal in a third consecutive game and Jack Roslovic added his second in as many nights. Gostisbehere, who scored just two power-play goals last season with Detroit, has matched that total in just four games.
“Different teams kill differently,” Gostisbehere said. “(Brind’Amour’s) been giving us a good blueprint for what works against that. For us to get some positives out of it, to make plays and get results helps too.”
–Field Level Media
