The Edmonton Oilers can’t get off this road trip quickly enough, can they? But before they can get back on a plane to go home, the boys have got their second and final tussle of the season against the Carolina Hurricanes to get through first. The boys will be looking for their first win in Raleigh since February 16, 2020. Dare to dream?
This road trip has been a disaster, and I don’t know that I’ve ever been happier to see that the Oilers have one more game to play before heading home to the safety and comfort of their own building. I’m not suggesting that simply playing at Rogers Place will cure what ails this team right now, but I am saying that I can’t see how things can possibly get worse.
In the four games played since returning from the 4 Nations break, the Oilers have been outscored by a face-melting 21-10 margin, and it doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out how that’s a problem. Our boys have bled goals against throughout this road trip, and with only one game left to slog through before getting back to Edmonton, I almost don’t care how it goes as long as everyone gets out safely. Let’s flush this thing and move on with our lives.
As much as I still hold a grudge against the Carolina Hurricanes for what happened in 2006, I’ve almost forgotten my disdain for them because of how horrifically the wheels have fallen off around here. It’s maddening to see that the Oilers are now four points behind Vegas in the Pacific Division standings after they came out of the break in the lead for that spot. What a difference a week of shitacular hockey can make, you know?
The Oilers and Hurricanes are meeting for the final time this season after last meeting on October 22nd at Rogers Place. The Hurricanes rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the third period to lock in a 3-2 win in overtime courtesy of Sebastian Aho’s goal in the bonus period. Connor McDavid scored both of Edmonton’s goals while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard all tallied an assist each.
With this one last game against the Hurricanes left on this road trip, I’m hopeful that the Oilers can find a way to not only win the game but also to draw some positives out of the situation. Given that their coach is calling them “fragile” in his post-game comments, I think a few small wins for individuals could go a long way in turning the ship around. When things are going as badly as they are, I think simplifying the game could be Edmonton’s best approach to getting out of this tailspin.
I find that when the team is struggling, they get away from making the simple plays that make their offence effective. Instead of generating shots and driving to the net for the garbage, we’re back to looking for tic-tac-toe plays that don’t seem to be working at all, and the result is a smorgasbord of giveaways that are proving costly. Not only are they turning the puck over way too much, but those extra passes are also voiding opportunities to put pucks on net and create some chaos near the crease.
Considering that the Oilers haven’t had a losing streak this long since Dave Tippett was still around, the team (and coaching staff) desperately need to adjust their approach because what they’re doing right now isn’t working. And from my side of the computer screen, dumbing down their approach and making sure the small details of their game are crossed off should be the first step. Of course, no one ever asks my opinion on what the team should be doing, so I guess we’ll have to hope that my ideas are shared by the guys in that dressing room.
Let’s see what the numbers say…

THE NUMBERS

OILERS
HURRICANES
RECORD
34-21-4
34-21-4
WIN/LOSS STREAK
L5
W1
LAST 10 GAMES
3-6-1
4-5-1
GOALS FOR
192
192
GOALS AGAINST
173
166
POWER PLAY%
25.2
19.8
PENALTY KILL%
75.0
84.0
AVG. SHOTS/FOR
32.0
31.8
AVG. SHOTS/AGAINST
27.3
24.9
TEAM SAVE%
.907
.896
CORSI FOR%
53.61
59.56
PDO
.989
.982
TEAM SHOOTING%
8.29
8.59
EXPECTED GOALS FOR%
54.04
56.19
Numbers courtesy of Natural Stat Trick (Sv%, CF%, PDO, Shooting%, xGF% all at 5×5)
  • The Oilers have struggled against the Hurricanes over the years, sporting a measly record of 3-5-2 since 2019. They’ve been outscored 38-29 over that stretch, and were beating by two more goals in five of those seven losses.
  • Connor McDavid has recorded at least a point in five straight games against Carolina (4G, 8A), including four multi-point efforts over that span. Meanwhile, Zach Hyman has recorded eight points (7G, 1A) over his last give games versus the Hurricanes.
  • Leon Draisaitl leads the NHL in goal scoring with a ridiculous 44 goals in 59 games. That puts him on pace for a 61-goal campaign, and that almost seems light with the way he’s filling the net right now. Draisaitl has at least a goal in each of his last seven games.
  • Adam Henrique leads all active Oilers in career games (34) against Carolina, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins leads all active Oilers in career points (22) versus the Hurricanes.

LINE COMBINATIONS

Oilers

Nugent-Hopkins – McDavid – Hyman
Skinner – Draisaitl – Arvidsson
Janmark – Henrique – Brown
Podkolzin – Kapanen – Perry
Ekholm – Bouchard
Kulak – Klingberg
Stecher – Emberson
Pickard
Kris Knoblauch has ripped the blender around a few times this past week, and while what I’ve listed above is what the Oilers had at practice on Friday, I almost think it’s a matter of time before things get mixed up again. At this point, I don’t even care who plays where as long as someone — anyone — starts scoring goals. That said, I am confused what Matt Savoie — a known offensive player — has to do to get a few more at-bats, especially when you consider the team’s offensive struggles.

Hurricanes

Svechnikov – Ah0 – Rantanen
Martinook – Staal – Jarvis
Hall – Jost – Blake
Robinson – Kotkaniemi – Roslovic
Slavin – Burns
Orlov – Chatfield
Gostisbehere – Walker
Kochetkov
Mikko Rantanen (1G, 1A) picked up his first multi-point game as a member of the Hurricanes in their last contest versus the Sabres, finally making the impact everyone expected from him. Sebastian Aho stayed hot with a goal, pushing his streak to six points (4G, 2A) over his last five games. Taylor Hall found the back of the net for his first goal as a Hurricane, while Seth Jarvis continued his strong play at home, netting his 12th goal on home ice in 2025—tying David Pastrnak for the league lead. Jarvis now has six points (3G, 3A) in his last five games. Needless to say, the Hurricanes have some players that can burn you if you’re not careful.

TONIGHT…

GDB Photoshop Leon Draisaitl Edmonton Oilers Carolina Hurricanes
GDB Photoshop Leon Draisaitl Edmonton Oilers vs. the Carolina Hurricanes | Photoshop by Tom Kostiuk from Handmade by Tom
Game Day Prediction: The Oilers finish the road trip on a high, beating the Hurricanes 5-3 after Draisaitl drains the empty-netter.
Obvious Game Day Prediction: The PK will give up at least a goal. At least one.
Not-So-Obvious Game Day Prediction: No one will see it coming, but today is the day when Ty Emberson finally gets his first goal as an Oiler.

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