Stops in Raleigh are never easy.

For many <a href="http://oilersnation.com/stats">Edmonton Oilers</a> fans, it invokes unpleasant memories from the <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2024/06/06/zach-hyman-remembers-watching-oilers-and-hurricanes-in-2006-final-this-building-is-crazy/">2006 Stanley Cup Final</a>. And while that may be almost 20 years in the past, recent trips to visit the Carolina Hurricanes haven&#8217;t always been fun.
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In the Connor McDavid era, the Oilers had gone 3-6 in their nine trips there, but had a win last March to hang their hats on.
Make that two in a row, as on Saturday night, the Oilers secured a <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/11/15/edmonton-oilers-overtime-victory-carolina-hurricanes-recap-highlights-and-reaction/">4-3 overtime win</a> over the Cardiac Canes, as a three-point night from captain Connor McDavid and the return of Zach Hyman to the lineup pushed them over the top.
<blockquote>&#8220;(We) just dug in, kind of hanging on for a little bit,&#8221; said McDavid of the game that saw them outshot 36-33. &#8220;I&#8217;m sounding like a broken record when we win, but&#8230; we found a way to win a game.&#8221;</blockquote>
While the Oilers worked their way to a 2-0 lead just six and a half minutes into the game, thanks to goals from Jack Roslovic and McDavid, it would be squandered just under two minutes into the second. Eric Robinson had scored late in the first, and Nikolaj Ehlers would tie it up early in the next frame.
That&#8217;s when the ice started to tilt in Carolina&#8217;s favour, pouring shots on Stuart Skinner, who had one of his best games of the season, turning aside 33 of 36 shots for a .917 save percentage.
<blockquote>&#8220;Stuart was great,&#8221; said McDavid. &#8220;We were taking on water there for a little while, and he was making saves and giving us a chance.&#8221;</blockquote>
McDavid would reestablish Edmonton&#8217;s lead, capping off a tic-tac-toe where Hyman entered the offensive zone dropping a puck for Leon Draisaitl, who quickly fed a tape-to-tape pass through a mess of bodies right to the captain&#8217;s stick.
A Jordan Stall goal a minute later would force overtime, where it took all of 19 seconds for the Dynamic Duo to ice the game.
<blockquote>&#8220;That&#8217;s what we get paid to do. We get paid to be the difference, and tonight we were able to do that,&#8221; said McDavid.</blockquote>
The win moves the Oilers to 2-1 three games into their seven-game road trip, where being able to break even would be considered a win. Saturday&#8217;s win will help, undoubtedly, but the return of Hyman to the Oilers lineup may have gone better than anyone expected.
Along with his assist, he finished the night with a pair of shots, a blocked shot, and 11 hits in 23 minutes of ice-time.
<blockquote>&#8220;He said after the game he was just picking up right where he left off in the playoffs,&#8221; said Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch. &#8220;He also told me&#8230; &#8216;I told you my legs are feeling great,&#8217; so he played 20-plus minutes tonight, and that&#8217;s not an easy task for a guy who hasn&#8217;t played for several months.&#8221;</blockquote>
McDavid, meanwhile, sounded over the moon to have his wingman back.
<blockquote>&#8220;It&#8217;s just great to see him, great to see him playing,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Significant injury and, you know, I got firsthand to see him work his way back, and it wasn&#8217;t always easy. It never is.
&#8220;Sometimes people forget the human side of it. It&#8217;s an emotional thing to go through a significant injury like that, to see him back and playing and healthy and moving really well, you know, it&#8217;s definitely uplifting for our group.
&#8220;He&#8217;s a great leader. Brings a lot of positivity to our room, which is needed. He&#8217;s a big part of our team on the ice, a big part of our team off the ice, leadership. You name it, he does it. So great to have him back.&#8221;</blockquote>
Edmonton&#8217;s <a href="https://oilersnation.com/schedule/2025-11-17">road trip continues</a> Monday against the Buffalo Sabres, before visiting the Washington Capitals on Wednesday, Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, and the Florida Panthers next Saturday night.
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Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@DFOFantasy/streams">Daily Faceoff DFS Hockey Report</a>. He can be followed on X at <a href="http://www.x.com/zjlaing">@zjlaing</a>, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.
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Stops in Raleigh are never easy.



For many <a href="http://oilersnation.com/stats">Edmonton Oilers</a> fans, it invokes unpleasant memories from the <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2024/06/06/zach-hyman-remembers-watching-oilers-and-hurricanes-in-2006-final-this-building-is-crazy/">2006 Stanley Cup Final</a>. And while that may be almost 20 years in the past, recent trips to visit the Carolina Hurricanes haven't always been fun.
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In the Connor McDavid era, the Oilers had gone 3-6 in their nine trips there, but had a win last March to hang their hats on.

Make that two in a row, as on Saturday night, the Oilers secured a <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/11/15/edmonton-oilers-overtime-victory-carolina-hurricanes-recap-highlights-and-reaction/">4-3 overtime win</a> over the Cardiac Canes, as a three-point night from captain Connor McDavid and the return of Zach Hyman to the lineup pushed them over the top.
<blockquote>"(We) just dug in, kind of hanging on for a little bit," said McDavid of the game that saw them outshot 36-33. "I'm sounding like a broken record when we win, but... we found a way to win a game."</blockquote>
While the Oilers worked their way to a 2-0 lead just six and a half minutes into the game, thanks to goals from Jack Roslovic and McDavid, it would be squandered just under two minutes into the second. Eric Robinson had scored late in the first, and Nikolaj Ehlers would tie it up early in the next frame.

That's when the ice started to tilt in Carolina's favour, pouring shots on Stuart Skinner, who had one of his best games of the season, turning aside 33 of 36 shots for a .917 save percentage.
<blockquote>"Stuart was great," said McDavid. "We were taking on water there for a little while, and he was making saves and giving us a chance."</blockquote>
McDavid would reestablish Edmonton's lead, capping off a tic-tac-toe where Hyman entered the offensive zone dropping a puck for Leon Draisaitl, who quickly fed a tape-to-tape pass through a mess of bodies right to the captain's stick.

A Jordan Stall goal a minute later would force overtime, where it took all of 19 seconds for the Dynamic Duo to ice the game.
<blockquote>"That's what we get paid to do. We get paid to be the difference, and tonight we were able to do that," said McDavid.</blockquote>
The win moves the Oilers to 2-1 three games into their seven-game road trip, where being able to break even would be considered a win. Saturday's win will help, undoubtedly, but the return of Hyman to the Oilers lineup may have gone better than anyone expected.

Along with his assist, he finished the night with a pair of shots, a blocked shot, and 11 hits in 23 minutes of ice-time.
<blockquote>"He said after the game he was just picking up right where he left off in the playoffs," said Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch. "He also told me... 'I told you my legs are feeling great,' so he played 20-plus minutes tonight, and that's not an easy task for a guy who hasn't played for several months."</blockquote>
McDavid, meanwhile, sounded over the moon to have his wingman back.
<blockquote>"It's just great to see him, great to see him playing," he said. "Significant injury and, you know, I got firsthand to see him work his way back, and it wasn't always easy. It never is.

"Sometimes people forget the human side of it. It's an emotional thing to go through a significant injury like that, to see him back and playing and healthy and moving really well, you know, it's definitely uplifting for our group.

"He's a great leader. Brings a lot of positivity to our room, which is needed. He's a big part of our team on the ice, a big part of our team off the ice, leadership. You name it, he does it. So great to have him back."</blockquote>
Edmonton's <a href="https://oilersnation.com/schedule/2025-11-17">road trip continues</a> Monday against the Buffalo Sabres, before visiting the Washington Capitals on Wednesday, Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, and the Florida Panthers next Saturday night.

<hr />

Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@DFOFantasy/streams">Daily Faceoff DFS Hockey Report</a>. He can be followed on X at <a href="http://www.x.com/zjlaing">@zjlaing</a>, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.

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