For 60 minutes, the Hurricanes kept getting a reminder of what happens when Edmonton’s best players start cooking.
Connor McDavid piled up five points, Leon Draisaitl added two goals and three assists, and the Oilers cashed in three times on the power play in a 6-5 shootout win over Carolina on Thursday night. Edmonton erased a 4-2 deficit in the third period, got the game tied again at 5-5 with 1:28 left in regulation, and then finished it off in the shootout.
The opening punch from the Oilers’ top unit was as sharp as it gets. Their first power-play goal took only three seconds, with Draisaitl scoring.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins followed 44 seconds later, and Draisaitl struck again 10 seconds after that. It was efficient, ruthless, and for long stretches it looked like that might be enough on its own.
But Edmonton spent much of the night leaning on that same formula, just as it had in Tuesday’s win over Minnesota, when three of its four goals came with the man advantage. By the second intermission, the Oilers were still trailing 4-2 and had managed only FOUR even-strength shots on net.
Carolina took advantage of some costly giveaways to build its lead. Sebastian Aho beat Mattias Ekholm to the puck for a goal 30 seconds into the second period.
Seth Jarvis spun Evan Bouchard into the ice on the 3-2 goal. Then Jake Walman turned it over behind his own net, leaving Logan Stankoven uncovered in front for the 4-2 marker.
The Hurricanes looked in control until Edmonton suddenly wasn’t. The Oilers wiped out the two-goal hole in less than three minutes, with McDavid scoring an even-strength one-timer in the first minute of the third period and Draisaitl tying it at 2:51 on the power play.
Carolina answered late, but McDavid answered again even later, pushing the game to overtime and then the shootout. There, Nugent-Hopkins scored the clincher and Devon Levi stopped all three Carolina attempts.
The night also carried a scary moment for Edmonton when Ekholm had to be helped off the ice early in the third period after slamming his head on the ice and appearing shaky on his skates.
With his five-point performance, McDavid joined Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy as the only players in NHL history to reach 30 points in 10 games.
In Other News...
Seth Jarvis Just Reminded Hurricanes Fans What They Were Missing
Seth Jarvis was back in the Carolina lineup against the Oilers, and the timing mattered as much as the performance. After spending the summer recovering from shoulder surgery, the forward returned for his first game since June and looked like a player eager to reassert himself in a group that has leaned on his energy, pace and knack for creating offense.
Jarvis did not waste much time making an impression, scoring on his return while also chipping in physically and generating chances. He said afterward that he still has work to do defensively, which is a fair note in a game that showed both the upside of having him back and the next step he needs to take as he settles in again. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Fans Just Got Another Way To Watch This Season
Hurricanes fans in the teams home market have another viewing option this season after DIRECTV announced a multi-year agreement to carry Hurricanes Hockey Network broadcasts. The package includes pregame, postgame and live game coverage, giving certain DIRECTV and U-verse subscribers inside the clubs broadcast territory another way to follow the team beyond the usual game-night window.
The reach goes beyond living rooms, too, with the agreement also expanding access in commercial spots served by DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS around the Hurricanes region. For a fan base already juggling Prime Video, Spectrum and Fubo, the added distribution only broadens the places where Hurricanes hockey can turn up, from the couch to the local sports bar. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes End Road Trip With Even More Early-Season Momentum
The road trip ended the way the Hurricanes have wanted so many nights this fall, with a complete performance and another result that keeps the early-season momentum rolling. Carolina shut out the Blues 4-0 to finish the five-game swing at 3-1-1, and the team now sits at 9-2-2 through its first 13 games of the 2026-27 season, a start that has quickly separated it from the pack in the East.
Pyotr Kochetkov was at the center of it again, looking every bit like a goalie who has given Carolina a chance to breathe on most nights. Jackson Blake also continued to leave his mark on the rosters future, reaching a notable personal milestone on Sean Walkers goal and doing so at a pace the Hurricanes have not seen from one of their young players in some time. [Read more 🡒]
