Oilers flattened by Hurricanes 7-1

Theo Peckham upends Carolina's Sergei Samsonov Tuesday, Nov. 9 at RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

 

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PRE-GAME

Preview Game Notes Head-to-Head Stats Comparison Video interviews Audio Interviews

PHOTOS

Click here for the photo gallery Photo of the Day

VIDEO

Watch the highlights Oilers Post-Game at Carolina: Reaction from Gilbert, Gagner, Hall, Khabibulin & coach Renney The Other Side: Post-game comments from Skinner, Staal & more from the Oilers locker room

AUDIO

Sam Gagner Tom Gilbert Taylor Hall Nikolai Khabibulin Head Coach Tom Renney Audio Highlights

THREE STARS

Jeff Skinner, CAR Eric Staal, CAR Joe Corvo, CAR

UPDATE

With the loss, the Oilers drop to 4-7-2.

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Under the Scope

WHAT'S NEXT

The five-game road trip continues as the Oilers fly out of Raleigh and into Detroit post-game. The team will practice Wednesday before taking on the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena Thursday, November 11. The game starts at 5:30pm MT and will be broadcast on Rogers Sportsnet Oilers.

The first Hurricane swell hit hard and it never subsided. Four early Carolina goals submerged Edmonton and the team couldn't swim, eventually dropping a 7-1 decision in Raleigh Tuesday night. Dustin Penner scored the Oilers' lone goal, while Devan Dubnyk finished with 31 saves after coming in to relieve starter Nikolai Khabibulin.

Under the Scope

FIRST PERIOD

Only 26 seconds after opening puck drop, the Hurricanes stuck. After skating in with Brandon Sutter, Patrick Dwyer caught a rebound with his skate and directed it past Nikolai Khabibulin. The play was reviewed, but officials said there was no kicking motion and home team went up 1-0.

A tripping minor to Dustin Penner soon put the Oilers on the penalty kill, and the Hurricanes kept storming. With help from Eric Staal and Jeff Skinner, Erik Cole directed the puck back into the net to make it 2-0.

Another Edmonton infraction, this time to Zack Stortini for boarding, had the same result. At 4:10, Skinner and Staal got the puck to blueliner Joe Corvo, who one-timed it home, setting the score 3-0.

The Oilers stayed out of the penalty box as the midway point of the period approached, but that didn't keep the 'Canes from increasing their lead. At 7:19, Chad LaRose lit the visiting lamp for the fourth time in eight shots. In response, Oilers head coach Tom Renney pulled Khabibulin and put Devan Dubnyk between the pipes.

After finding themselves down four goals and six attempts, Edmonton found some traction, tested Cam Ward, and evened up the shot clock by the 14-minute mark.

Carolina added four more shots to their tally, but Dubnyk turned them all away and prevented further damage heading into the second period.

SECOND PERIOD

Both teams started the middle frame with two attempts each before Steve MacIntyre put the Oilers back on the penalty kill. But the visitors excelled shorthanded, adding two more shots to their tally.

The challenge was intensified one minute in as Tom Gilbert sat beside MacIntyre for delay of game, but Edmonton managed to outlast Carolina's two-man-advantage.

The penalty killing soon took its toll, however. With 20 seconds remaining in Gilbert's penalty, Corvo fired through traffic and past Dubnyk to make it 5-0 Hurricanes.

Following the goal, the power-play tables turned when Jay Harrison took a high-sticking penalty, but an interrupted shorthanded breakaway for Tom Kostopoulos gave the Hurricanes a penalty shot. Kostopoulos shot just wide, and the 5-0 score stuck.

Two more Oilers power-plays and a fourth 'Canes man-advantage kept the goalies on their toes, but the scoreclock refused to budge. Edmonton carried its five-goal, 10-shot deficit into the final frame.

THIRD PERIOD

The Hurricanes returned to their offensive attack early in the third period. At 1:06, Sergei Samsonov concluded a swarm of red jerseys with a backhander that soared past Dubnyk.

But the Oilers soon got that one back and finally got on the scoreboard. Poised at Ward's right, Penner caught a loose puck and fired past the scrambling goalie to set the score 6-1.

Just like the Oilers, the 'Canes soon got THAT one back. Just over two minutes after Penner's goal, Skinner batted Tuomo Ruutu's pass out of the air and over Dubnyk's glove to renew Carolina's six-goal lead.

A pair of solid posts prevented the Oilers from narrowing the gap, and the club finished with a disappointing 7-1 loss on their record.