Connor McDavid wasted no time making his presence felt in the Edmonton Oilers’ second game of the season.
After opening the year without a goal, McDavid broke through with his first of the campaign and added four assists as the Oilers survived a frantic, back-and-forth night to beat the Vancouver Canucks 9-7 on Thursday in Vancouver.
Edmonton’s attack kept coming in waves. Evan Bouchard turned in a three-point night with a goal and two assists, and in the process became the first defenceman in NHL history with eight points - four goals and four assists - through his team’s first two games of a season.
Leon Draisaitl added two goals and an assist, while Vasily Podkolzin and Kasperi Kapanen each chipped in a goal and an assist. Owen Michaels scored his first NHL goal, and Ryan Shea picked up his first in an Oilers uniform.
The Oilers, now 1-0-1, did plenty of damage even without top-six forwards Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman.
Devon Levi made his first NHL start since Jan. 20, 2025, when he was with the Buffalo Sabres, and stopped 15 of 22 shots.
Vancouver got a big night from Marco Rossi, who scored twice and added an assist, while Elias Pettersson finished with a goal and two assists. Paul Cotter, Brock Boeser, Arshdeep Bains and Jamie Oleksiak also scored for the Canucks, with each of them adding an assist as well.
Kevin Lankinen was chased after allowing eight goals on 20 shots, finishing with 12 saves before being pulled midway through the second period. Leevi Merilainen, claimed off waivers by Vancouver on Friday and still wearing a Senators helmet, came on in relief and stopped 10 of 11 shots.
It was the second straight meeting between the clubs to turn into a shootout. On Tuesday, Vancouver had edged Edmonton 6-5 in overtime in the season opener for both teams.
The Canucks, now 1-1-0, found themselves chasing the game early. After scoring six times on Tuesday, Vancouver had trouble getting anything going through the first two periods.
The home team did not record its first shot on goal until 11:58 of the opening frame, when Linus Karlsson sent a wrist shot from the bottom of the faceoff circle toward the net. Vancouver did pick up steam in the third, with Rossi scoring twice and Pettersson adding another over a span of 5:44.
Edmonton’s start was relentless. Michaels and Bouchard scored 16 seconds apart in the first period, and the Oilers kept piling it on from there.
The decisive stretch came midway through the second period, when Edmonton grabbed an 8-2 lead on a Canucks power play. McDavid and Kapanen scored short-handed breakaway goals just 34 seconds apart, a brutal swing that put Vancouver in a massive hole.
One odd note from a wild night: Vancouver finished with more hits, 27, than shots on goal, 20.
The Canucks host the Calgary Flames on Saturday, while the Oilers return home to face the Seattle Kraken.
In Other News...
Flames Opening Night Disaster Raises One Brutal Early Question
The Calgary Flames did not get the kind of start anyone around the Saddledome wanted to see, opening the 2026-27 regular season with a 6-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken on home ice. Seattle set the tone early and never really let go, while the Flames spent most of the night chasing the game after a rough first period put them in an immediate hole.
What made the performance harder to digest was how many of the problems were of Calgarys own making. Penalties and defensive mistakes kept feeding the Krakens momentum, and the lone Flames goal came only late in the third period after the outcome was long since tilted. For a team trying to establish a better early-season footing, the question now is how quickly this group can clean up the details before one bad opener starts feeling like a pattern. [Read more 🡒]
Flames May Have A Familiar Blue Line Option Back In Play
A familiar name has surfaced around Calgarys system, and it comes with the kind of low-risk depth look teams lean on when the blue line needs a little more certainty. The Wranglers brought in veteran defenseman Derek Forbort on a professional tryout, giving the organization a chance to see where his game is after an injury-plagued year in Vancouver and, from his side, a path toward proving he still belongs in an NHL conversation.
For Calgary, there is at least some built-in familiarity if this turns into more than a camp stop, since Forbort once wore a Flames sweater in 2019-20 and already knows the market and the expectations that come with it. His arrival also fits the broader shuffle around the league, where teams are continually balancing injuries and reinforcements, and it leaves open the question of whether the veteran can turn this latest opportunity into a real contract chance. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Just Sent A Top Prospect Into A Situation Flames Fans Know Well
Braeden Cootes is heading into the kind of proving ground Flames fans know well, with the Vancouver Canucks assigning their 2025 first-round pick to Abbotsford to begin his pro season. The move sends the young forward into the AHL right away, just as the affiliate gets ready for its opener and finalizes an opening roster that will give a better look at how the club plans to handle one of its most closely watched prospects.
For Vancouver, the decision is clearly about patience and development, not a fast track to the NHL. Canucks GM Ryan Johnson has made it clear there is no set timeline for a promotion, which puts the emphasis on steady growth in Abbotsford rather than immediate pressure in Vancouver. How Cootes settles in there, and how quickly he can turn a strong start into momentum, will be one of the early stories to watch once the season opens. [Read more 🡒]