Oilers speed past Hurricanes for 7-3 victory

Sebastian Aho scored his 26th goal of the season and had an assist.

Teuvo Teravainen scored his 22nd.

But for the Carolina Hurricanes, that covers most of the highlights Tuesday as the Edmonton Oilers skated and hustled to a 7-3 victory at PNC Arena that was as decisive for the winners as it was embarrassing for the home team.

The Canes last won at home on March 2, when they topped the New Jersey Devils. That seems eons ago as the Canes’ losses have piled up and they have badly faded out of playoff contention.

The Canes’ defensive breakdowns came so frequently Tuesday that they were hard to keep up with as the Oilers — getting a goal and three assists from Leon Draisaitl — led 3-2 after the first period and 6-3 after the second.

Brock McGinn also scored for the Canes (31-31-11), getting his 13th in the first period. But McGinn first took a big hit from defenseman Matt Benning and was credited with the goal when his backhand pass was knocked past goalie Cam Talbot by Oilers defenseman Yohann Auvitu.

Benning later put another hard hit on McGinn in the Edmonton zone. Benning then sped down the ice and scored, and Auvitu also had a goal for the Oilers.

Aho, playing with center Jordan Staal and Teravainen, converted a power-play pass from Justin Faulk into his goal, ripping a shot from the top of the left circle in the first. Teravainen scored off an Aho pass four minutes into the second to pull the Canes within 4-3, but the Oilers answered.

Auvitu scored off the rush and Draisaitl with a sharp-angle shot as goalie Scott Darling was touched for six goals on Edmonton’s first 19 shots.

The Canes did a decent job in containing the Oilers’ Connor McDavid, the dynamic center who had 34 goals and 89 points entering the game. McDavid did not have a shot until the third period although earning an assist.

With defenseman Noah Hanifin out with a concussion, the Canes had Faulk paired with Klas Dahlbeck and it was a rough night on the back end — both had minus-4 games.

The game was the first of the season for Canes forward Valentin Zykov, who was recalled from the Charlotte Checkers. Zykov leads the AHL in goals but had a mostly quiet game, as did the rest of his teammates.

It has been a forgettable, disappointing season for the Oilers (32-36-5), who reached the playoffs last season for the first time since 2006 and their Stanley Cup final loss to Carolina.

For the Canes, what many believed to be a promising season has quickly deteriorated into disappointment.

This story was originally published March 20, 2018 at 9:23 PM with the headline "Oilers speed past Hurricanes for 7-3 victory."