Recap: Canes Double Up Oilers In Edmonton

EDMONTON, Alta. - The Carolina Hurricanes scored a half-dozen goals for a second consecutive game on Friday, taking a 6-3 victory from the Edmonton Oilers.

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Despite surrendering the game-opening goal, a pair of strikes from the Canes in the following 1:23 quickly turned the tide of the contest in their favor. Some astute wall work from Sebastian Aho led to a Shayne Gostisbehere laser, and on the following shift, Nikolaj Ehlers became the fourth Hurricane to hit 20 goals on the campaign.

Taking their 2-1 advantage into the first intermission, the two sides would alternate turns scoring until the late stages of the contest. A hometown-game goal for Jordan Martinook earlier in the second period provided the first short-lived two-goal lead, and in the final stanza, Jackson Blake's 18th tally of the season made it a 4-2 affair before Carolina broke things open in the final 1:21.

An empty net tally from Jordan Staal looked like it would seal the deal, but a follow-up from Blake with just seconds remaining officially put a bow on things. 

Behind it all, Frederik Andersen got back in the win column, turning away 13 of 16 shots faced.  Carolina has now earned at least one point in the standings in seven of the Dane's last eight starts.

Stats & Standouts

• The win gives Carolina 40 wins this season, making them the second team in the NHL to reach the benchmark. The Colorado Avalanche (42) are the other.
• Forward Nikolaj Ehlers scored his fifth goal in his last three road games. Only three skaters in franchise history have scored more over a span of three road games: Jeff Skinner (6 from Dec. 11-15, 2015), Eric Staal (6 from Jan. 21-27, 2010), and Brendan Shanahan (6 from Dec. 16-22, 1995).
• Ehlers became the fourth-fastest Hurricanes skater to score 20 goals with the franchise in the past 25 years (62 GP), following Matt Cullen (50 GP in 2005-06), Jeff Skinner (54 GP in 2010-11), and Vincent Trocheck (58 GP from 2019-20 - 2021-22).
• The Hurricanes are one of just four NHL clubs with at least four 20-goal scorers — Seth Jarvis (26), Sebastian Aho (23), Andrei Svechnikov (22), and now Ehlers (20). The other three teams are Anaheim, Vegas, and Washington.
• Tonight was Jackson Blake's third multi-goal game of the season, joining Nov. 19 in Minnesota (2) and Dec. 6 vs. Nashville (2).
• Defenseman K'Andre Miller recorded his second three-point game with the club, all assists. He's the fourth Hurricane to post three or more helpers in a single game this season.
• Carolina held Edmonton to 16 shots on goal, a new single-game low for them this season.
• Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere left the game after the first period with a lower-body injury and did not return. Gostisbehere has already missed 17 games this season due to lower-body injuries. Rod Brind'Amour did not have an update post-game.

They Said It...

Jalen Chatfield on what it took to win...

"Full team effort. I don't think there was a guy that took a shift off. We knew that was a good team coming in tonight, and we had to play together and we needed everybody. Ghost went down early, so as a whole team, we had to step up and fill in for that."

Rod Brind'Amour on the defense corps stepping up amid Gostisbehere's injury...

"Those guys really dug in... We lose Ghost, and then we're down to five and really playing four for the most part. That's a lot to ask against that team, and I thought they did just a great job..."

Jackson Blake echoing his teammate's analysis...

"Roddy pointed it out after the game, everyone contributed tonight. That's the group we are. It doesn't matter how much you play or who you are, everyone's contributing out there in their own little ways. Whenever you come here, it feels like a playoff game a little bit. They have two of the best players in the whole world, and I thought our team did a great job tonight."

Rod Brind'Amour on the line of Blake, Hall and Stankoven...

"That line's been really good. They're playing with a lot of energy, and I think the break was good for them. The young kids, they're the ones that seem to have the most juice out there. They're really pushing our group too, so it's been good to see."

Jackson Blake on how the Canes can carry momentum into Calgary tomorrow...

"Honestly, just [playing] the same way we played tonight. Obviously, back-to-backs are tough, traveling and getting to bed late, but no excuses. We've just got to have the same mindset we had tonight and just finish this road trip on a big win."

What's Next?

• The Canes will wrap up their Alberta back-to-back on Saturday in Calgary against the Flames.
• Next Game: Saturday, March 7 at Calgary | 10:00 p.m. ET | FDSNSO
• Next Home Game: Tuesday, March 10 vs. Pittsburgh | 7:00 p.m. ET | FDSNSO | Tickets | Parking