Rachel Barkley
The Carolina Hurricanes faced the Edmonton Oilers on the night of the trade deadline, and it was a doozy. The Hurricanes generated significant offense as they stormed to a 6-3 victory.
On the flip side, the effort of the defense cannot be understated, as they held the superstar-driven Oilers to a mere three goals despite the loss of defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere early in the game.
Frederik Andersen started between the pipes and played an impressive game despite allowing a goal on the short side, managing to stand unshaken in the crease. Throughout the game, he faced 16-shots, 10 of which were high-danger scoring chances for the Oilers. His save percentage for the night was .813, but the low number simply did not reflect the game he played. He even picked up an assist on Jordan Staal’s empty-net goal!
Adventures on the Blueline
In other news, Connor McDavid was given a thunderous hip check from K’Andre Miller – a check reminiscent of the one who previously manned his second-line spot, Dmitry Orlov.
However, Miller was immediately whistled and sent to the box for…tripping? Referees will be referees, I suppose. Of course, the ensuing power play led to a goal, but Miller’s night won’t be remembered for the box time, but rather for leading the game in points, with a trio of assists.
Meanwhile, Jalen Chatfield led the game in time on ice, with a whopping 25:54. It was his 300th game as a member of the Hurricanes, a fact which appeared to have surprised him when he was informed of the milestone after the game.
“Hockey is up and down,” he said. “Every game is different. But I come with the same mentality, same preparation, and same routine as going out there and playing hard and play for the guys and trying to get a win and doing whatever the team needs me to do. So I feel good. I felt like I came ready to play, and we got the result as a team.”
