Top Moments of the 2019-20 Regular Season: No. 7

With the 2019-20 regular season officially over, Hurricanes.com is counting down the top 10 moments from the last year, presented by Storm Brew from our friends at R&D Brewing.

Previous Top Moments: 10. Ward Retires, Sounds Warning Siren | 9. Geekie Shines in First Two NHL Games | 8. Canes Bolster Lineup on Deadline Day

7. Dougie Hamilton scores a goal from the red line

He's young, scrappy and hungry, and he's not throwing away his shot.

Dougie Hamilton was in the midst of a career, All-Star-worthy season. It was Dec. 10, and an upbeat Canes squad was beginning a five-game road swing through Western Canada and Colorado.

What unfolded in Edmonton that night was part weird, part hectic and undoubtedly wild. The Canes built a 3-0 lead in the first period. By 5:40 into the third period, the Oilers had scored three straight goals to tie the game. The Canes then responded with three more unanswered goals to kick off the road trip with a 6-3 victory.

Jordan Martinook tallied the first goal in that last trio, the game-winner that delighted his extended family in the crowd and his team.

With the Canes leading 5-3 in the final five minutes of regulation, Hamilton sealed the deal in an unexpected way.

Jordan Staal won a neutral-zone faceoff back to Hamilton. The Canes' defenseman settled the puck and looked down the ice, as if he was going to dump the puck in deep. That got Oilers goaltender Mikko Koskinen to drift out of position, and Hamilton ripped a slap shot to the back of the net.

"Dougie's got those tricks in his bag," head coach Rod Brind'Amour said after the game. "He said it was going to work once this year, so I guess that was it."

"I didn't think I was going to do it ever," Video: CAR@EDM: Hamilton beats Koskinen from center ice. "You can't really expect to score from center. It was just one of those plays, and it was cool to see it go in."

Later in December, Video: CAR@EDM: Hamilton beats Koskinen from center ice for the first time in his career. At the time, the 26-year-old had registered 36 points (13g, 23a) through 39 games, ranking tied for second in goals, tied for third in point, seventh in assists and first in shots on goal (148) among all league defensemen. In that stretch, the Canes' leader in average time on ice (23:31) also recorded a pair of six-game point streaks, the two longest of his career.

Video: CAR@EDM: Hamilton beats Koskinen from center ice

Hamilton's season heartbreakingly ended before he got to All-Star Weekend in St. Louis. On Video: CAR@EDM: Hamilton beats Koskinen from center ice, he suffered a broken fibula in his left leg in an awkward neutral-zone entanglement in the second period.

Hamilton's final 2019-20 regular-season stat line reads 40 points (14g, 26a) in 47 games. He still finished ranked tied for third among all league skaters with a plus-30 rating, and his team-leading average time on ice was only eclipsed by Jaccob Slavin (23:24), who became even more of a workhorse with Hamilton sidelined.

Hamilton, who was building a season worthy of Norris Trophy consideration, was well on his way to eclipse previous career highs in goals (18, set the season prior), assists (37) and points (50); he likely would have crossed the 20-goal threshold for the first time in his career, he probably would have pushed north of 40 assists, and he was on pace to record 69 points, all assuming an 82-game season, which didn't end up happening, anyway.

The Canes expected to have Hamilton back in time for the playoffs - that's still the case, especially now that an expanded postseason tournament will begin in August. Hamilton had already been skating as a part of his rehabilitation process and has continued to amp up his on-ice training in Phase 2. He will, of course, be a critical fixture of the Canes' blue line - Video: CAR@EDM: Hamilton beats Koskinen from center ice of Brady Skjei and Sami Vatanen - when play resumes.