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Pre-Scout: Oilers begin meat grinder stretch against East-leading Hurricanes
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Photo credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Michael Menzies
Mar 6, 2026, 09:00 ESTUpdated: Mar 6, 2026, 09:59 EST
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As I write this, Edmonton Oilers general manager Stan Bowman has said the team is unlikely to make any more moves.
But the team could still change by the time you read this. So chuck it out, take this with a grain of salt.
As the Oilers have added Connor Murphy, Jason Dickinson, and Colton Dach to the club, they have 13 forwards and seven defencemen on the roster. Curtis Lazar is likely out for a month, so how Knoblauch plugs in these new pieces will be curious.
We know for now that Murphy will be paired with Jake Walman, who can now play his strong, left side, and needs a reset to his game. Murphy will get lots of time on the penalty kill as well.
Let’s see what lines Knoblauch conjures up and whether Dach cracks in the lineup on the tight turnaround. Knoblauch said that the PK forward groupings will stay together, and Dickinson will play with Kasperi Kapanen on a third forward pair.
The Oilers’ penalty kill went 2/3 against the Senators in their come-from-behind 5-4 overtime victory on Tuesday, putting their overall percentage at 76.7 on the season. They need to be more reliable on the PK, which has plummeted in the last 10 games.
As we move past the trade window and turn our attention back to the games, the Oilers have one of their toughest stretches of the entire season on deck. The Eastern Conference-leading Carolina Hurricanes have been relentless in their last 20 games.
Then the team they chase for the Pacific Division crown at the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, at the Presidents Trophy favourites Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, then the red-hot Dallas Stars on Thursday, plus much weaker St. Louis at the end of the back-to-back.
Those two points vs Ottawa were very handy indeed, because the Oilers attention to detail defensively needs to shape up quickly.

Canes raging

The Carolina Hurricanes have been knocking on Stanley’s door (Cup, not Bowman) for years now.
I’m fascinated if they have a big move up their sleeve with roughly $8.8 million in cap space. It didn’t work with Mikko Rantanen, finagling themselves out of that situation rather well. Is there a big fish they’re looking to reel in?
With a record of 39-16-6, and the third most points in the league before Thursday’s games were played, the Canes are trending towards 50-plus wins for the fourth time in the last five seasons.
It’s the same ol’ story — they’re a damn good hockey team. Much like the Oilers, it’s about what they do in the playoffs, as try to win the conference, losing three times in the third round in the Rod Brind’Amour era.
Although they weren’t pleased with a 6-4 win over Vancouver on Wednesday, Nikolaj Ehlers collected his second hat-trick of the season, as they start a new streak. The roadtrip didn’t start to plan, as Seattle snuck a 2-1 win by them, snapping a 12-game point streak.
The Hurricanes are 15-2-3 in their last 20 games, but perhaps the Oilers can catch a team that hasn’t been to their best lately.
“I don’t think we love that game. Gave up way too many big chances and made Bussi work for it tonight and just didn’t play 100 percent our way and the way we need to play,” said Ehlers. “We got some things we need to clean up.”

Leaders in many categories

Ehlers was the free agency prize and he’s providing his classic consistent scoring style with 19 goals and 48 points. Provided he stays healthy, he’ll reach the 60-point plateau for the fifth time in his career.
While there have been whispers of frustration over the years, Andrei Svechnikov is rounding back into form. He already has his highest point total since 2022-23. His best season was 2021-22, when he scored 30 goals and 69 points, and the former second-overall pick turns 26 this month. 
Then a story like Jackson Blake comes along, and you’re playing with a bit of house money. Blake’s 37 points already best his total from his rookie year, and he has five points in his last five games. Solid stuff.
Brind’Amour’s shot volume philosophy has continued into this season, as the Canes average 32.1 shots on the opposition netminder per game, the second most in the league.
At 5-on-5, the Canes have the sixth-highest goal share, and the second-highest expected goal share at 56.62 per cent, just 0.3 behind Colorado. They dominate in Corsi Percentage at 59.74, three per cent more than Colorado, which is second, and six per cent more than Tampa Bay, who are third.
They are relentless on pucks and create by playing fast. And when that isn’t working, they allow the fewest shots per game at 24.3.
The Oilers will need a dialled-in performance, much like they were on November 15, when they beat the ‘Canes 4-3 in overtime on a Leon Draisaitl winner.

Notes:

  • Per usual, the Canes have had goaltending injuries. Pyotr Kochetkov won’t return this year between the pipes, and Brandon Bussi has played the most games. Bussi has an absurd 25-3-1 record. He’s only lost twice since Christmas and won nine straight starts.
  • Sebastian Aho? Still great. A team-leading 61 points.
  • The Oilers play games that feature goals. Lots and lots of goals. An Edmonton game hasn’t seen fewer than seven total goals scored since Jan. 20, when the Oilers lost 2-1 to the New Jersey Devils. Does that reverse tonight?
  • A good test for the Oilers’ PK is a Carolina power play that operates at 22.6 per cent, and just went 2/3 against the Canucks.
  • Jesperi Kotkaniemi played his first game out of the Olympic break, scratched three times in a row before the Canucks game. It’s not working with this player, who’s scored just twice in 37 games. 
  • Matt Savoie is streaking. Out of the break, he has one goal and six assists in four games.
  • Hurricanes’ road record: 16-8-4. It’s the sixth-highest points percentage on the road this season at .643 before last night’s games.
  • Edmonton has fared well against Carolina recently. They’ve won three of their last four, and gone 5-4-1 in the last 10 straight up.
Michael Menzies is an Oilersnation columnist and has been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. With seven years news experience as the Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, he also collects vinyl, books, and stomach issues.

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