Gold: Showtime in Edmonton
Posted December 11, 2021 1:26 p.m. EST
Welcome to the Connor McDavid Show starring Leon Draisaitl. The Carolina Hurricanes are in Edmonton to meet the Oilers tonight and slowing down the home team’s top two stars is only half the story.
While the Oilers have hit a rough patch of late, their 16 wins are still second best in the Western Conference. They’re also a lot more than McDavid and Draisaitl.
While the duo are tied for the NHL lead in scoring with 45 points and Draisaitl is tops in goals with 23, they have so many other players to worry about.
Zach Hyman has 11 goals, 19 points and plays a get-under-your-skin game. Jesse Puljujarvi has 19 points (8g, 11a) and is slowly finding his way as a top 6 NHL forward. There is also a talented blue line featuring Tyson Barrie, Darnell Nurse and Evan Bouchard that has combined for 8 goals and 42 points through 25 games.
Isn't that special...
What the Oilers also have is a devastating power play. At 32.5% it is easily the best in the league. It will be a challenge, even for the Hurricanes’ outstanding penalty kill which stands 2nd in the NHL at 87.3%. Carolina has also turned aside 46 of the last 51 opposing power plays which includes 5 for 5 in Calgary and the 5-minute major penalty to Ian Cole in Winnipeg.
Something else to keep you awake – though considering the start time might be welcome – is that no team has faced more shorthanded situations than the Hurricanes this year. Their 97 power plays against are tops in the league by six. Kind of hard to believe that you could yield so many man advantage situations and still be 2nd in the league in goals allowed per game (2.20).
Feeling a draft...
It seems as though we’ve talked about the top of the 2018 draft lately, The Hurricanes have two of the first three players selected that year with Andrei Svechnikov (2) and Jesperi Kotkaniemi (3) on the roster. So, when the Canes took on Ottawa and Brady Tkachuk, who was selected 4th or Buffalo and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, the first overall pick, it was a natural conversation.
Sebastian Aho was the 35th pick (5th in second round) in the 2015 draft, the one that produced McDavid and Jack Eichel, among others. In fact, this road trip has and will feature some of the best from that class. McDavid, not surprisingly, leads the class in goals (211) and points (619). But, it’s Aho’s 158 goals that is second, while Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor is 3rd (149) and Brock Boeser of Vancouver is 6th with 101.
All of those players were first round picks, as were Mitch Marner, Matthew Barzal, Mikko Rantanen, Jake DeBrusk and Noah Hanifin. If for no other reason, Hurricanes fans should probably send Seattle General Manager Ron Francis a bottle of something in a couple of weeks.
Aho is also red hot, with points in 4 straight (3g, 6a), and at least 2 points in each game. In addition Aho has 6 goals and 13 points in 8 career games against Edmonton.
I know you’re wondering, McDavid has just one goal and 7 assists in 8 career games against the Hurricanes. Draisaitl has played against Carolina 10 times and has 14 points (6g, 8a).
Nice to see you again...
Because almost every game is a reunion game, the Canes will get to say hello to Warren Foegele. He’s got 8 points (2g, 6a) this season but has gone goalless in 18 straight. Derek Ryan will also oppose the team that gave him his NHL break. Ryan has just 1 goal in 22 games this season.
Ethan Bear Is making his first appearance against his former team, assuming he draws back into the line up after missing the game in Winnipeg with an illness. Bear skated in 132 games for the Oilers over parts of three seasons.
Road Warriors...
The Hurricanes have played 15 of their first 25 games on the road, going 11-3-1. The only teams to play more games on enemy ice are Calgary (17) and the New York Islanders, who were on the road for their first dozen until they were able to christen their new building. So, if you’re going to be on the road a lot – and that number will grow to 18 of their first 28 before they return home to meet the Red Wings next Thursday – it helps that the Canes are tied for the most road wins (11) and have the second best road points percentage (.767) in the league.
Storm Watch starring Alec Campbell begins at 9:30 pm on 99.9 the Fan. Mike Maniscalco and Tripp Tracy follow with the call of the Canes and Oilers just after 10:00. Don’t forget to follow the Canes Corner Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. There is a new episode the #MorningAfter every Hurricanes game.
