Two of the highest-scoring teams in the young season meet Thursday night in Edmonton.
The Carolina Hurricanes have excelled despite a rash of injuries among their forwards, while the Oilers could be getting even stronger a few weeks into the season.
Center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is set to make his season debut against Carolina, which should help the Oilers further stabilize their line combinations.
“So, the minutes won’t be out of whack,” Edmonton coach Mike Babcock said. “We’ll be able to just roll out the door and let everyone go, and suddenly we’ll be in a way better situation center-wise. … I’m excited to get some guys back and get up and running like we should be.”
Zach Hyman was in the lineup as the Oilers won consecutive games against the Utah Mammoth and Minnesota Wild. But they aim to become even stronger with more top-level players available.
“I think we’re way better than this,” Babcock said.
Injuries have continued to mount for the Hurricanes, who have still won eight of their last nine games. Thursday’s matchup is the fourth stop on their five-game road trip.
Carolina beat the Vancouver Canucks 6-3 on Tuesday, getting a boost from Nicolas Deslauriers, who scored his first two goals as a Hurricane. Carolina acquired him in March.
“I’ve said it often, I don’t expect to score goals, but it’s fun when it happens,” Deslauriers said. “I know what my job is, and I’m not going to deviate from that and (think) I have to score goals now. It’s not my job, but it’s fun.”
The Hurricanes have yet to have winger Seth Jarvis in action this season, while forwards Taylor Hall, Mark Jankowski and Jordan Staal are sidelined with injuries.
Jarvis was activated Wednesday and is expected to make his season debut Thursday, while Jankowski left the team during the road trip to return to Raleigh, N.C., for further evaluation.
Those injuries have led to unexpected line combinations for Carolina, which has won six of its seven road games.
Defenseman Juuso Valimaki made his Hurricanes debut Tuesday night, paired with Shayne Gostisbehere.
“He played really well for not having played since training camp,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “There was a lot to worry about, but I thought he had his hands on the first goal with a nice little quick up pass. I thought he played well. Good on him to contribute.”
The Oilers have demonstrated plenty of firepower but want to tighten up defensively.
“You can’t give out gifts,” Babcock said. “If they earn them, no problem.”
Edmonton edged Minnesota 4-3 in overtime Tuesday.
Superstar forward Connor McDavid has recorded at least one point in all nine games. With 20 assists, he became the first player in NHL history to reach that mark in the first nine games of a season. He also has six goals for a league-leading 26 points.
McDavid logged more than 25 minutes Tuesday.
Edmonton has enough talent on its roster to generate scoring chances on any shift.
“These guys are going to make their own breaks,” Babcock said.
Thursday marks the second game of Edmonton’s five-game homestand.
Two of the highest-scoring teams in the young season meet Thursday night in Edmonton.
The Carolina Hurricanes have excelled despite a rash of injuries among their forwards, while the Edmonton Oilers could be getting even stronger a few weeks into the season.
Center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is set to make his season debut against Carolina, which should help the Oilers further stabilize their line combinations.
“So, the minutes won’t be out of whack,” Edmonton coach Mike Babcock said. “We’ll be able to just roll out the door and let everyone go, and suddenly we’ll be in a way better situation center-wise. … I’m excited to get some guys back and get up and running like we should be.”
Zach Hyman was in the lineup as the Oilers won consecutive games against the Utah Mammoth and Minnesota Wild. But they aim to become even stronger with more top-level players available.
“I think we’re way better than this,” Babcock said.
Injuries have continued to mount for the Hurricanes, who have still won eight of their last nine games. Thursday’s matchup is the fourth stop on their five-game road trip.
Carolina beat the Vancouver Canucks 6-3 on Tuesday, getting a boost from Nicolas Deslauriers, who scored his first two goals as a Hurricane. Carolina acquired him in March.
“I’ve said it often, I don’t expect to score goals, but it’s fun when it happens,” Deslauriers said. “I know what my job is, and I’m not going to deviate from that and (think) I have to score goals now. It’s not my job, but it’s fun.”
The Hurricanes have yet to have winger Seth Jarvis in action this season, while forwards Taylor Hall, Mark Jankowski and Jordan Staal are sidelined with injuries. Jarvis was activated Wednesday and is expected to make his season debut Thursday, while Jankowski left the team during the road trip to return to Raleigh, N.C., for further evaluation.
Those injuries have led to unexpected line combinations for Carolina, which has won six of its seven road games.
Defenseman Juuso Valimaki made his Hurricanes debut Tuesday night, paired with Shayne Gostisbehere.
“He played really well for not having played since training camp,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “There was a lot to worry about, but I thought he had his hands on the first goal with a nice little quick up pass. I thought he played well. Good on him to contribute.”
The Oilers have demonstrated plenty of firepower but want to tighten up defensively.
“You can’t give out gifts,” Babcock said. “If they earn them, no problem.”
Edmonton edged Minnesota 4-3 in overtime Tuesday.
Superstar forward Connor McDavid has recorded at least one point in all nine games. With 20 assists, he became the first player in NHL history to reach that mark in the first nine games of a season. He also has six goals for a league-leading 26 points.
McDavid logged more than 25 minutes Tuesday.
Edmonton has enough talent on its roster to generate scoring chances on any shift.
“These guys are going to make their own breaks,” Babcock said.
Thursday marks the second game of Edmonton’s five-game homestand.