The Carolina Hurricanes experienced their first defeat of the season north of the border on Thursday, Oct. 20. Despite a winning streak on the West Coast, Carolina (3-1-0) couldn’t keep it together against the Edmonton Oilers (2-2-0) and fell 6-4 after 60 nail-biting minutes of gameplay.
On the bright side, right wing Andrei Svechnikov completed his first regular season hat trick. The 22 year old was undoubtedly the Hurricanes’ star player of the evening, largely responsible for keeping Carolina in the game despite Edmonton’s six shots getting past goaltender Frederik Andersen.
“[Svechnikov] was pretty dominant,” said head coach Rod Brind’Amour. “That line was good, he was really good; we just didn’t have much from anyone else, really. I thought there wasn’t enough … Listen, we gave them two goals. You can’t just hand a team goals, especially this team.”
Carolina was slow to start in Alberta, spending the bulk of the first period on their side of the ice while at even strength. Andersen was largely responsible for blocking Edmonton’s advances, saving 12 of 13 shots on goal across the first 20 minutes of play.
Edmonton left wing Zach Hyman registered the Oilers’ first goal of the evening, pulling a straight shot past defensemen Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei. Although Carolina was ultimately unable to match it within the first period, Hyman’s goal seemed to wake up the Canes a bit across the remaining 11 minutes.
The next 20 minutes of gameplay were all about Svechnikov. Already coming off of a three-point hot streak in Seattle, he narrowed Carolina’s sizable deficit in the span of 11 minutes during the second period.
Two goals within two minutes from the Oilers — not to mention a shorthanded shot that sailed right through Andersen’s legs — would’ve dragged any team down, but Svechnikov bagged two bullets past Edmonton goaltender Jack Campbell.
The Hurricanes nearly gave Edmonton a taste of its own medicine late in the second period, thanks to a boastful shorthanded effort from center Martin Nečas while defenseman Calvin de Haan sat in the box for cross-checking. Regardless, the Hurricanes were forced to step up on all sides for the final 20 minutes of gameplay.
Carolina fans quieted after Edmonton raised the score to 4-2 early in the third period, but Svechnikov’s PPG to cement his first NHL regular season hat trick brought the match back to life. With six goals in four games, it’s clear that Svechnikov’s hot streak isn’t stopping anytime soon. If only it were enough for a win in Edmonton.
“It’s fun to score a hat trick, but it’s tough when you lose [the game],” Svechnikov said. “I think my teammates made nice plays for me, and my job is to be a shooter. That’s what I was doing today — just shoot it on the net, and try to score some goals. But yeah, it was tough. Tough to lose this one, for sure.”
With 11:05 left in the third period, Nečas put one more past Campbell as a last-ditch attempt to run away with the game following another goal from the Oilers. Despite a mere one-goal deficit in a high-scoring game and Svechnikov’s hot streak, however, the Hurricanes were ultimately unable to pull off a win or simply push the game into overtime. Following one final goal on an empty net for the Oilers, Carolina was done for.
The Hurricanes will seek to restart a winning streak with their upcoming match against the Calgary Flames on Saturday, Oct. 22. Puck drop is set for 10 p.m.
