‘We battled and got a point.’ Canes rally late but can’t beat the Oilers in overtime.
As tough as it might have been, Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour wanted a quick look at the overtime replay moments after the game.
The Canes rallied in the third period to tie the Edmonton Oilers on Sebastian Aho’s second goal of the game, with barely five minutes left in regulation. It soon was on to overtime, with a sellout crowd at PNC Arena at full throat, sensing a victory, ready for another postgame Storm Surge celebration.
That wasn’t to be as the Oilers won, 4-3, on Josh Archibald’s second goal of the game at 3:57 of overtime. But only after the Canes’ Aho, Teuvo Teravainen and Martin Necas had good offensive chances in the overtime. Aho was denied by goalie Mike Smith on a breakaway, then his follow shot.
That’s what Brind’Amour watched after the game. Chance after chance, five shots in all, with two points on the line.
“That was one of those games where I thought we had to dig in and we did,” Brind’Amour said. “I thought our guys showed real good resolve in the third (period). I thought we probably deserved better. We had some really good looks on the power play (in the third) and then got it tied up.
“In overtime, we just looked at it, basically almost two or three Grade-A (chances) ... didn’t go our way.”
Aho, playing his 300th career game, had beaten Smith on a breakaway with a quick forehand in the second period. His second goal, with 5:02 left in regulation, tied the score 3-3 after a sharp pass from Andrei Svechnikov off the rush, Svechnikov powering his way to the net before finding Aho in the slot — “Just a great pass,” Aho said.
Aho also assisted on the Canes’ first goal by defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk just 12 seconds into the game. It extended his point streak to nine games.
But Smith, who had 27 saves, denied the Canes’ center with the game on the line. Goalie James Reimer, who had 20 stops for Carolina, took the loss after winning his last four starts.
“I felt 5-on-5, we played a good game and were better than them,” Aho said. “But obviously, the power play we didn’t have enough. Obviously, it’s a good thing we can come back. We have the feeling on the bench that we can come back and that’s a good thing.”
Oilers without best player in NHL
The Canes (33-21-4), after a 5-2 win Friday over the New Jersey Devils, were looking to claw back into wild-card playoff position with another win. Plus, the Oilers (32-21-6) are without injured center Connor McDavid, arguably the best player in the league.
But Brind’Amour was wary of the Oilers before the game, noting a dynamic and dangerous top line of Leon Draisaitl centering Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kailer Yamamoto. His fears were well founded.
Draisaitl scored his 34th goal, assisted on a power-play goal by Yamamoto and then Archibald’s overtime winner. Archibald scored his first goal 28 seconds after Yamamoto for Edmonton.
Van Riemsdyk scored his first of the season on a shot from the point — the third-fastest goal to start a Canes game in franchise history. Aho converted his breakaway at 5:19 of the second period for a 2-1 lead.
The game then took a turn. Canes defenseman Haydn Fleury lost his stick in the Carolina zone but forward Nino Niederreiter handed him his stick. Niederreiter then got into a push-and-shove with Archibald, who finally hit Niederreiter in the face. Moments later, the Canes’ Erik Haula jumped into it, grabbing Archibald.
Haula and Niederreiter were sent to the penalty box at 6:18 of the second, as was Archibald, leaving the Oilers on a power play. The Oilers didn’t score but the momentum appeared to swing Edmonton’s way.
“A couple of iffy calls and I think the game just flipped,” Brind’Amour said.
The Canes twice had chances to tie the score on power plays in the third period but was unable to convert. On the second, Smith made a sharp stop on a Ryan Dzingel shot in the slot.
“Sometimes the pucks bounce your way and sometimes they don’t,” Reimer said. “You hate losing games and stuff but at least we battled and got a point.”
This story was originally published February 16, 2020 at 6:43 PM.
