Oilers beat Canucks 9-7 in Vancouver to open season 1-0-1
Edmonton and Vancouver combined for 16 goals across their season-opening home-and-home series, with the Oilers taking three of four possible points.
The Edmonton Oilers opened their NHL season with a 9-7 road win over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, after Vancouver had taken a 6-5 overtime victory in Edmonton two nights earlier. The Oilers built an 8-2 lead midway through the second period before the Canucks scored four straight goals to cut the deficit to two, including a last-second goal from Arshdeep Bains that beat Edmonton goalie Devon Levi with 0.1 seconds left in the frame.
Oilers captain Connor McDavid had a goal and four assists in the win, while Leon Draisaitl added two goals and an assist and Evan Bouchard contributed three points. Head coach Mike Babcock said Edmonton (1-0-1) earned three of a possible four points over the two games but needs to play a full 60 minutes rather than fading after a strong start.
Vancouver (1-1-0) is beginning a rebuild under a new front office and head coach, Manny Malhotra, while Edmonton is aiming to return to the Stanley Cup final for the third time in four years. Players on both sides, including Vancouver's Paul Cotter and Brock Boeser, said their teams need to be hungrier and more physical to avoid repeating the defensive lapses seen in the high-scoring series.
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