Archibald, Oilers recover to top Hurricanes in OT

RALEIGH, N.C. --Josh Archibald scored his second goal of the game with 1:03 remaining in overtime, and the Edmonton Oilers recovered for a 4-3 win against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena on Sunday.

After Mike Smith stopped Sebastian Aho on a breakaway with 1:38 left in overtime, Archibald took a backhand pass from Leon Draisaitl on a 2-on-1 and scored from in front.
"When Smith] makes saves like that, you've got to come back and do something like that for him in the other end," Archibald said. "Ninety-nine times out of 100, [Draisaitl] is going to get that puck to you, so you've just got to be ready."
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Draisaitl had a goal and two assists, and Smith made 28 saves for the Oilers (32-21-6), who were playing the second of a back-to-back following a 4-1 win at the Florida Panthers on Saturday.
"You have to be happy with that," Edmonton coach Dave Tippett said. "These two games, it feels like a whirlwind. We competed hard, chipped a bunch of pucks, and found a way to hang around the game. Got the one we needed at the end. Some real good stuff."
The Oilers are 3-1-0 since captain Connor McDavid sustained a left quad injury against the Nashville Predators on Feb. 8.
"All four games he's been gone, we've played very solid, all-around hockey," Draisaitl said. "That shows a lot of character. Guys like [Archibald], whoever it is, they're just filling in roles. Hats off to those guys. It's not easy going from 11 or 12 minutes to playing close to 20. They've done an amazing job. We're just looking to keep it going."

Aho had two goals and an assist, and James Reimer made 20 saves for the Hurricanes (33-21-4), who have lost two of their past three games (1-1-1).
Aho tied it 3-3 at 14:58 of the third period on a feed from Andrei Svechnikov.
"I thought we had to dig in, and we did," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "I thought our guys showed really good resolve in the third. I thought we probably deserved better."
Trevor van Riemsdyk scored 12 seconds into the game to give Carolina a 1-0 lead when his wrist shot from the right wall made it through traffic.
Draisaitl responded with his 34th goal of the season to tie it 1-1 at 6:28 of the first. Jujhar Khaira got to a loose puck at the top of the crease and sent a one-handed backhand pass to Draisaitl, who scored from low in the right circle one second after a power play expired.
"He just finds a way to beat a bunch of defenders," Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse said. "It's not just his offense. If you watch the last few games, it's the way he's been checking and he's been in good positions in the defensive zone and tracking back."

Aho made it 2-1 at 5:19 of the second period, taking a pass from Jaccob Slavin in the neutral zone and skating past Adam Larsson before beating Smith on the forehand. Aho has 15 points (nine goals, six assists) in a nine-game point streak.
Kailer Yamamoto tied it 2-2 at 14:33 on the power play when his shot from the slot hit the left post and ricocheted off Reimer's skate into the net.
Archibald gave Edmonton a 3-2 lead at 15:01 of the second following a turnover by van Riemsdyk. Tyler Benson had the assist on the play for his first NHL point in his fourth game.
"He's a playmaker and he's good at it. That's why he's here," Archibald said. "It was a great feed and I put it home."

Edmonton went 1-for-3 on the power play. Carolina was 0-for-3 with the man-advantage.
"I felt like 5-on-5 we played a good game, but the power play didn't do a good enough job," Aho said. "We have a feeling on the bench that we can come back, but when we have those moments, we have to do a little better job."

They said it

"We try not to make (three games in four days) as an excuse. We take that as a challenge in here. We like playing in those games where people might count us out a little. We're a team that wants to show the hockey world that we're a great group in here." -- Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl
"Sometimes the pucks bounce your way and sometimes they don't. It's unfortunate. You hate losing games. [Smith] played unreal in overtime, so kudos to him, but we grinded out a valuable point." -- Hurricanes goalie James Reimer

Need to know

Draisaitl has 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in a five-game point streak. … Oilers defenseman Oscar Klefbom played a game-high 30:57. … Smith is 9-1-1 in his past 11 starts. … Svechnikov has nine points (four goals, five assists) in a seven-game point streak. … Aho played in his 300th NHL game.

What's next

Oilers:Host the Boston Bruins on Wednesday (8:30 p.m. ET; SN, TVAS, NESN, NHL.TV)
Hurricanes:At the Nashville Predators on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, FS-TN, FS-CR, NHL.TV)