Oilers edge Canucks 9-7 as McDavid posts five points, Bouchard sets NHL mark
Edmonton improved to 1-0-1 on the young season with a high-scoring road win in Vancouver, the second straight shootout-style affair between the two teams.
Connor McDavid scored his first goal of the season and added four assists as the Edmonton Oilers beat the Vancouver Canucks 9-7 on Thursday night. Evan Bouchard chipped in a goal and two assists, giving the defenceman eight points through Edmonton's first two games, an NHL record for a blueliner that early in a season.
Leon Draisaitl added two goals and an assist, while Vasily Podkolzin and Kasperi Kapanen each had a goal and an assist. Owen Michaels scored his first NHL goal and Ryan Shea netted his first as an Oiler. Goaltender Devon Levi made his first NHL start since January 2025, stopping 15 of 22 shots, with Edmonton missing forwards Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman.
Vancouver got two goals and an assist from Marco Rossi and a goal with two helpers from Elias Pettersson, with Paul Cotter, Brock Boeser, Arshdeep Bains and Jamie Oleksiak also scoring. Kevin Lankinen was pulled midway through the second period after allowing seven goals on 20 shots; relief goalie Leevi Merilainen, claimed off waivers from Ottawa the day before, stopped 10 of 11.
Edmonton built an 8-2 lead in the second period, including two short-handed breakaway goals from McDavid and Kapanen 34 seconds apart, before Vancouver rallied with three third-period goals. It was the second straight high-scoring meeting between the teams, following Vancouver's 6-5 overtime win in both clubs' season opener. The Canucks host Calgary on Saturday while the Oilers host Seattle.
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