Hurricanes 5 - 3 Oilers
Final
  for this game

Carolina beats Edmonton, stops skid at seven

Dec 8, 2011 - 6:31 AM Edmonton, AB (Sports Network) - Jeff Skinner and Jamie McBain each scored a power-play goal, as the Carolina Hurricanes snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 5-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place.

Patrick Dwyer, Chad LaRose and Tuomo Ruutu also tallied for the Hurricanes, who got a 22-save performance from Cam Ward.

Carolina's Kirk Muller earned his first win as an NHL head coach.

"It was great," said Muller. "Honestly, I'm not afraid to show emotion. This game has to be about emotion and we have had some tough nights."

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Eric Belanger and Ben Eager provided the offense for Edmonton, which fell to 1-3-1 on its six-game homestand. Devan Dubnyk stopped 28 shots in defeat.

"We didn't have enough passion to play," said Oilers head coach Tom Renney. "We didn't have an emotional connection to the game. I'm pretty disappointed."

The Hurricanes appeared to opening the scoring 7:43 into the contest, but LaRose's tally was waved off when it was deemed to have been directed in with a kicking motion.

Edmonton got on the board at the 10:33 mark of the first period and its goal survived a video review. Ward stopped a wraparound bid by Magnus Paajarvi and Belanger skated into the crease, propelling the puck across the goal line.

Behind their 28th-ranked power play unit (11.7 percent), the Hurricanes moved ahead.

Skinner pumped home the equalizer on the man-advantage with 38 seconds left in the first, then McBain beat a screened Dubnyk on the blocker side while Edmonton was down a man at 4:36 of the middle stanza.

An even-strength tally by Dwyer extended Carolina's lead to 3-1 at 11:47 of the second period. LaRose netted a short-handed goal at 15:41, but Eager trimmed the Oilers' deficit to 4-2 by responding nine seconds later.

Ruutu restored Carolina's three-goal cushion, converting a Jussi Jokinen feed in the slot at 3:43 of the third period.

Nugent-Hopkins, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 draft, capped the scoring with his 13th goal of the season at 13:21.

Game Notes

Carolina has scored six short-handed goals this season...Edmonton defenseman Ryan Whitney played in his 400th career NHL game...Jokinen has 199 career assists.






Related News