McDavid and Draisaitl Sink the Champs in Edmonton
Edmonton and Carolina played a game that was as close as it looked. It needed more than 60 minutes, and Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were the reason the extra point stayed home. They played together on a line with Vasily Podkolzin, and each finished with two goals and three assists.
The chances were almost even. Expected goals, which measure how many goals a team's chances were worth, had Edmonton at 2.9 and Carolina at 2.73. Both teams scored far more than that because neither goalie had his night. Devon Levi stopped 22 of 27 shots, and Brandon Bussi stopped 16 of 21.
The gap was the power play. Edmonton went 3 for 5, while Carolina went 1 for 2. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, back for his season debut, added a goal and an assist.
The bounces could have gone either way. The puck hit iron three times: Draisaitl, Logan Stankoven and Skyler Brind'Amour each rang one off a post or crossbar.
The Oilers improve to 7-1-1. The Hurricanes, the defending champions, are still first in the Metropolitan at 8-2-1.