Lindholm scores 3 goals, Hurricanes rally to beat Oilers 7-4
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) Trailing by three goals almost halfway through the game, the Carolina Hurricanes needed something to get them going.
Alexander Semin gave them that spark, starting a six-goal outburst that included two of Elias Lindholm's three goals and the Hurricanes went on to a 7-4 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday.
Semin, who got his fourth goal of the season on a highlight-reel effort, got Carolina on the scoreboard at 9:22 of the second period when he swept the puck behind him while he was sprawling through the crease. He said he just followed through with the play after being slashed and taken down.
''I just saw the puck and threw it toward the net,'' Semin said. ''Maybe it helped the team because we scored two more goals to get even at the end of the second period.''
Carolina captain Eric Staal said it was a very nice goal and it helped the Hurricanes grab some momentum.
''Obviously, you never want to get down like that,'' Staal said. ''I felt like our game wasn't too bad. We just needed to find that first one and we obviously found it. That was a nice one. It was pretty nice. It will probably be up there in the highlight reel for a while.''
Lindholm had his first career hat trick and also had two assists, Jeff Skinner had two goals and Andrej Nestrasi also scored for Carolina, which last erased a three-goal deficit exactly one year ago in a 5-4 loss at the New York Islanders.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had his second career hat trick to increase his scoring total to 19 goals for Edmonton, which lost its fourth straight. Nugent-Hopkins also had an assist and Jordan Eberle added a goal and two assists.
Oilers coach Todd Nelson said Semin's goal was the turning point.
''It was desperation on his part,'' Nelson said. ''He made a nice play and really sparked their team. And then we got into penalty trouble. They just stronger as the game went on.''
When Nugent-Hopkins gave the Oilers a 3-0 lead at 7:59 of the second period with his second goal, it appeared Edmonton was going to snap its three-game losing streak. His third goal brought the Oilers to 6-4 at 9:31 of the third period, but Edmonton got no closer.
Nestrasi's goal at 1:40 of the third period gave the Hurricanes their first lead of the game at 4-3.
Five minutes later, Skinner and Lindholm scored 21 seconds apart to give the Hurricanes some breathing room on the scoreboard. Lindholm's third goal was an empty-netter with 1:20 left to complete the hat trick.
''I didn't know if I'd have another chance to get one,'' said Lindholm, who scored three in a preseason game. ''It was nice of Eric (Staal) to give me that pass.''
Carolina went 3 for 5 on the power play but was only 1 of 3 on the penalty kill. It marked only the second time this season the Hurricanes allowed more than one power-play goal.
Carolina, which outshot Edmonton 35-20, got back in the game with a big second period.
After falling behind 3-0, the Hurricanes tied the game at 3-3 with three goals in the final 11 minutes of the second period as Semin got the scoring started for Carolina. The Hurricanes then scored the next five goals to snap a two-game losing streak.
NOTES: Carolina RW Pat Dwyer played his 400th NHL game, while D Rasmus Rissanen made his NHL debut with the Hurricanes. ... Edmonton became only the second team to score two power-play goals against Carolina this season. The Hurricanes surrendered two power-play goals in their second game of the season on Oct. 11 in a 4-3 loss at the New York Islanders. ... Edmonton C Jordan Eberle has three goals and three assists in two games against Carolina this season.
