The Edmonton Oilers suffered a 6-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night as their late-season push for consistency took another hit.
The defeat dropped Edmonton to 30-25-8 this season. Meanwhile, Carolina improved to 40-16-6 and continued its strong run with seven wins in the last eight games.
Jackson Blake scored twice for the Hurricanes. K’Andre Miller recorded three assists in the win, and Frederik Andersen finished with 13 saves for Carolina. Despite having Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in the lineup, the Oilers generated only 16 shots.
For Edmonton, Zach Hyman scored two goals and Vasily Podkolzin added another. Goaltender Tristan Jarry stopped 26 shots, and captain McDavid recorded an assist to extend his points streak to six games.
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After the game, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch addressed the team’s struggles. He admitted the team must find another level with only 20 games left in the regular season.
“Yeah, obviously we need to find and put together wins,” Knoblauch said. “We’ve only got 20 games left and we’re on the brink of not making the playoffs. We can’t just wait to find our game in the playoffs because we need to ultimately get there. We need to find another gear.”
Edmonton started the game well but struggled to maintain control. Knoblauch said Carolina’s pressure played a major role in shifting the momentum.
“They kind of took over the game,” Knoblauch said. “They pressure the puck really well. They’ve been playing really good hockey and you can see why. They were quicker to pucks and had almost twice as many shot attempts. That’s typically their game.”
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The Hurricanes also limited Edmonton’s ability to regain possession. According to Knoblauch, winning puck battles was a key difference in the game.
“To counter that you just need to recover those pucks,” he said.
Knoblauch Highlights Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl’s Struggles as Oilers Push for Consistency
Another topic raised after the game involved the even-strength performance of McDavid and Draisaitl when they play together. Knoblauch acknowledged that the numbers have not produced the same offensive dominance seen in previous seasons.
“You’re hoping that it’s going to break at some point,” Knoblauch said. “Obviously they spend a lot of time in the offensive zone, but sometimes you don’t get anything and then you have to counter and defend maybe tired.”
He added that the biggest change has been scoring efficiency.
“Usually they would score quite a bit, but it hasn’t been the same this year,” Knoblauch said.
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The Oilers remain in the playoff race despite the recent struggles. Edmonton currently sits third in the Pacific Division with 68 points. The team continues to produce offensively, averaging 3.54 goals per game, while McDavid leads the NHL with 106 points.
However, defensive issues remain a concern as the club allows 3.38 goals per game. With only 20 games remaining, Knoblauch stressed that the team must start producing consistent results quickly.
Edmonton will try to respond in its next game when the Oilers visit the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday night.
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