The Canucks’ 4-2 loss to the Oilers on Saturday night still produced a few bright spots, and three players stood out for the way they handled their minutes in Edmonton.
Guillaume Brisebois kept making a case for himself. The 29-year-old picked up his first NHL point since March 14, 2023 and finished with 17:17 of ice time, along with two blocked shots, one shot on goal and one hit.
He also handled a heavy load on the penalty kill, leading all players with 3:09 in shorthanded ice time. The more he’s been on the ice, the more comfortable he has looked, and he’s finding ways to stay in the lineup.
Drew O’Connor didn’t land on the scoresheet, but he still turned in one of his more noticeable games of the season. The 2026-27 season has been a difficult one for him offensively, and he is on pace to set a new career-high in penalty minutes.
Even so, he was active throughout the night, leading Vancouver with four shots on goal and adding three hits. It was the kind of performance the Canucks will hope he can build on.
Max Sasson also made his presence felt again. The 26-year-old scored his fifth goal of the season and his second against Edmonton this year, finding the net from close range.
He added two hits and saw time on both the penalty kill and power play. Sasson’s speed and willingness to get to the front of the net continue to fit neatly into Manny Malhotra’s system, and he has been one of Vancouver’s most consistent players so far.
In Other News...
Canucks Fans Are Already Facing The Rebuild Question They Dread
A rough start has already pushed the Canucks back into a conversation nobody in Vancouver wanted to revisit this early, with the club sitting near the bottom of the standings after a losing streak. When a season goes sideways this quickly, the focus naturally shifts from chasing points to wondering how long the pain lasts and what the next competitive core is supposed to look like.
One name that keeps surfacing in that larger rebuild discussion is Landon DuPont, whose early college hockey work has only added to the buzz around his long-term upside. Some analysts are already putting lofty draft projections on the defenseman and drawing speculative comparisons to Cale Makar, which is the kind of chatter that can energize a fan base even as it underscores just how far away the real answers still are. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Keep Sliding After Another Frustrating Loss To Edmonton
The Canucks latest trip through Edmonton brought another familiar result, as they fell 4-2 at Rogers Place and watched Leon Draisaitl steer the Oilers with two goals and an assist. Mattias Ekholm and Jason Dickinson also scored for Edmonton, while Max Sasson and Brock Boeser supplied Vancouvers offense in a game that again left the Canucks chasing from behind against one of the Western Conferences top teams.
For Vancouver, the bigger concern is the slide itself. The loss was the clubs fifth straight, and the standings continue to reflect how far the season has drifted off course at 3-15-1. Edmonton, meanwhile, keeps piling up points and looking every bit like a team built to stay near the top, which only sharpens the contrast for a Canucks group still searching for any kind of reset. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Make Another Lineup Shakeup For Heated Oilers Matchup
The Canucks are making another round of lineup tweaks for a matchup that already carries plenty of edge against Edmonton. Tom Willander will sit out for a third straight game even after joining the team for practice, leaving Vancouver to shuffle its defensive pairings again as it tries to settle things down on the back end.
Up front, Arshdeep Bains is getting a look on the top line with Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser, a notable change for a group still searching for the right mix. In goal, Leevi Merilinen is slated to start for the second game in a row, giving Vancouver a familiar option as it heads into another test against the Oilers. [Read more 🡒]