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 But it wasn't easy.
It took the first goal of Oilers rookie center Leon Draisaitl's NHL
career with 7:05 left in the third period, some insurance from
center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins at 15:50 and an empty-netter from right
winger Matt Hendricks to secure a 6-3 victory that was a lot closer
than it looked.
Closer than anyone at Rexall Place thought it would be.
"We found a way to win in the third, and that's the most important
thing," said Oilers right winger Jordan Eberle, who scored his first
two goals of the season. "We got the win. We got the two points.
That's something we weren't doing last year. We have a little bit of
a streak going here."
The Oilers came in riding high after wins over the Washington
Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning in which they held superstars Steve
Stamkos and Alexander Ovechkin to zero goals, while the (0-5-2)
Hurricanes limped into Edmonton for their third road game in four
days, after coming off a 5-0 spanking Thursday night in Calgary, and
were also minus both Eric and Jordan Staal.
But the lopsided Oilers victory never came. Carolina gave Edmonton
everything it could handle.
But it wasn't more than they could handle, and the Oilers pulled
away in the third.
"We knew we had the tools to win the game, we have the skill in this
room," said Oilers left winger Jesse Joensuu. "We said let's go out
and do it instead of talking about it. We really stepped on the gas
and they couldn't handle us."
Not when it mattered most, anyway. After playing them neck and neck
all game, the Hurricanes watched the Oilers pull away down the
stretch.
"We have to continue to move forward and work to put together a
60-minute game," said Carolina defenseman Jay Harrison. "No one is
going to give us a game. We have to take a game from someone. Until
we do that, we're not going to get it. We have to continue to build
and get better.
"We knew it wasn't going to be easy and it is not going to get any
easier. It's up to the guys in this room to get us out of this, to a
man. We're professional athletes and nobody is going to feel sorry
for us. We have to continue to get better and work our way out of
this. It is the only way."
The Hurricanes showed a lot of spirit in the loss, coming back from
1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 deficits on the road, but, again, none of that
seemed to matter much in a dressing room that just lost 6-3.
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"We showed some character coming back as many times as we did,"
said Hurricanes center Jeff Skinner. "We just couldn't find that one
goal to put us up. It was tough the way it ended, it's tough to
swallow.
"When things start going like this, things can start to pile up and
snowball. We just need to chip away and start with the little simple
things and work our way out of this. We're not getting results and
it is not acceptable. We need to find a way out of this."
After a scoreless first period, Eberle and left winger Joensuu
scored for Edmonton and center Riley Nash and Skinner replied for
Carolina to send the teams into the second intermission tied 2-2.
After goals from Eberle and center Jay McClement made it 3-3 in the
third, Draisaitl scored a game-winning goal he'll remember forever.
"It was really exciting, that's something that every hockey player
as a kid dreams about," said Draisaitl. "To make this happen with
this team is even more special."
NOTES: Friday's game featured a matchup between teams with the
longest playoff drought in the Western Conference (Edmonton's eight
years) and the longest in the East (Carolina's five years). ...
Oilers LW David Perron, who tied for the team goal- scoring lead
with 28 each last year, is scoreless through the first eight games
of the season. ... Oilers D Nikita Nikitin went plus 4 in the win,
while fellow defenceman Mark Fayne went minus 3. ... Carolina C Eric
Staal is getting closer to a return and might even suit up during
the road trip. ... The Hurricanes' previous record for consecutive
losses to start a season was five. ... Oilers G Viktor Fasth, who
has been out 10 days with a groin injury, is expected to begin
practicing again next week.
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