McDavid and Draisaitl each record five points as Oilers beat Hurricanes 6-5 in shootout

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

EDMONTON — Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl each produced five-point nights as the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 6-5 in a shootout at Rogers Place on Thursday. McDavid finished with two goals and three assists, while Draisaitl also had two goals and three assists in a game that swung multiple times across three periods and was decided after a tied score through regulation.

McDavid and Draisaitl’s combined performance included a pair of key third-period moments that pushed Edmonton back into contention. McDavid pulled the Oilers within 4-3 just 26 seconds into the third period when he converted a one-timer from inside the left circle after receiving a pass from Draisaitl, beating Carolina goaltender Brandon Bussi blocker-side. Draisaitl then tied the game 4-4 at 2:51 on a power play, one-timing a pass from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in the low slot.

Carolina regained the lead late in regulation when Juuso Valimaki put the Hurricanes back ahead 5-4 with 2:40 remaining. The goal came from the high slot and beat Levi blocker-side, and it marked Valimaki’s first tally since Dec. 10, 2024, with the Utah Mammoth, then known as the Utah Hockey Club. With the clock winding down, Zach Hyman appeared to tie the score 5-5 at 1:36 when he knocked in a loose puck near the right post, but the goal was waived off because of a high-stick infraction.

Edmonton ultimately did find the equalizer seconds later. McDavid tied the game 5-5 just eight seconds after Hyman’s waved-off goal, with a saucer pass intended for Draisaitl deflecting five-hole on Bussi off the skate of Jesperi Kotkaniemi. With the teams level, the contest went to a shootout to determine the result.

In the skills competition, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored the only shootout goal for Edmonton. Nugent-Hopkins, returning for his season debut, also had a goal and an assist in regulation for the Oilers, who improved to an 8-1-1 record. Devon Levi made 22 saves for Edmonton, while Bussi finished with 16 saves for Carolina.

For Carolina, the scoring effort in regulation was spread across several players. Seth Jarvis registered a season-debut goal, Sebastian Aho added a goal and an assist, and Shayne Gostisbehere and Jordan Martinook each contributed two assists. Carolina entered the night 8-2-2 and was 2-1-1 on a five-game road trip that concludes Saturday at the St. Louis Blues.

The game’s early momentum shifted quickly, beginning with power-play scoring by Edmonton. Draisaitl put Edmonton in front 1-0 at 8:07 of the first period on a power play, winning an offensive-zone face-off to McDavid and then receiving the puck for a deflection of Evan Bouchard’s wrist shot from the point over Bussi’s glove.

Carolina answered almost immediately. Jackson Blake tied the game 1-1 at 10:30 on a power play, snapping in the rebound of Gostisbehere’s shot past a downed Levi just six seconds into that man-advantage. Then, Aho gave Carolina the lead early in the second period by outracing Edmonton defenseman Mattias Ekholm to a loose puck and sliding a backhand through Levi’s legs on a breakaway at 30 seconds.

Edmonton tied the game again at 2-2 on a power play at 4:20 of the second period. Nugent-Hopkins scored after taking a cross-slot pass from McDavid and beating Bussi’s glove with a wrist shot, leveling the contest before the Hurricanes regained control. The Oilers’ Nugent-Hopkins missed the first nine games of the season due to a lower-body injury sustained during practice on Sept. 28.

Carolina regained the lead at 12:59 when Jarvis put the Hurricanes ahead 3-2. Jarvis spun around Bouchard in the right circle, deked Levi to his forehand, and tucked the puck past Levi’s left pad at the right post. Jarvis was also returning from offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum and rotator cuff in his right shoulder.

Late in the second period, Logan Stankoven extended Carolina’s advantage to 4-2 at 17:53 with a one-timer. The play came off a backhand pass from Nikolaj Ehlers, who stole the puck from Edmonton defenseman Jake Walman below the goal line. Those two-goal margins held until the third period sequence that erased Carolina’s lead.

The third period also carried an injury development for Carolina’s opponent. Ekholm was helped off the ice in the opening minute of the third period after his head hit the ice following a check into the boards from Hurricanes forward William Carrier. McDavid and Draisaitl then combined for the scoring that brought Edmonton back level and set up the shootout finish.

Following Thursday’s result, the Hurricanes continue their road trip with a scheduled conclusion Saturday against the St. Louis Blues. Edmonton, meanwhile, earned the two points after McDavid and Draisaitl’s five-point outputs and Nugent-Hopkins’ decisive shootout goal. McDavid and Draisaitl’s production, along with the late-game equalizer by deflection, were central to the Oilers’ ability to withstand Carolina’s regulation lead before taking the game in the tiebreaker.