The Edmonton Oilers beat the Vancouver Canucks 9-7 on Thursday night at Rogers Arena in one of the wildest games of the young NHL season. Connor McDavid had one goal and four assists for his 15th career five-point game.
The sharpest detail is how completely the game flipped. Edmonton led 4-0 after one period and 8-2 late in the second, then watched Vancouver score four times in the third period to turn a rout into a nervous finish. For an all-Canadian Pacific Division matchup, it delivered every version of hockey in a single night.
Edmonton Buries Vancouver Early
The first two periods were a showcase of Edmonton speed. The Oilers scored four times in the opening period, overwhelming Vancouver in transition and around the net. Leon Draisaitl scored twice and added an assist, Evan Bouchard had a goal and two assists, and the lead reached 8-2 late in the second period. The most damaging stretch came on the penalty kill, where McDavid and Kasperi Kapanen scored shorthanded goals 34 seconds apart, turning a Vancouver power play into the moment the game broke open.
Bouchard’s night carried a record with it. Combined with the season opener, he set an NHL record with eight points by a defenseman in his team’s first two games of a season. That production from the back end is what makes Edmonton so difficult to defend: when Bouchard is jumping into plays and McDavid is driving the middle, coverage breaks down in layers, and Vancouver spent forty minutes chasing both problems at once.
McDavid, who finished with five points, was blunt about the shape of the night afterward:
“Very weird game. I thought it was positive for 30 or 40 minutes, it was what the game should look like for us, but then just a weird third period there.” Connor McDavid, Oilers captain, published by NHL.com / EdmontonOilers.com
Vancouver Refuses To Quit
To their credit, the Canucks made Edmonton sweat. Marco Rossi had two goals and an assist, Elias Pettersson added a goal and two assists, and Vancouver cut the lead to 8-6 in the third period. Rogers Arena, quiet during the second period onslaught, came back to life as every Canucks goal raised the possibility of one of the great early season comebacks.
The finish instead became a lesson both teams can use. Edmonton learned that its defensive structure still loosens when a game feels decided, a habit that has cost the Oilers in bigger spots. Vancouver learned that its top players can score in bunches against an elite opponent, even if spotting a team eight goals through two periods is no recipe anyone can repeat. The home-and-home split tells the same story: Vancouver won 6-5 in overtime in Edmonton on September 29, so through two meetings the rivals have produced 27 goals and no comfortable nights.
Canadian fans got a full opening week of this kind of drama, from the shootout pace in Vancouver to the Bruins beating the Jets in overtime in Winnipeg and a Canadian goaltender recording his first shutout for the Rangers. The Pacific rivalry, though, remains the loudest of the group when McDavid is producing five points in a road building.
By The Numbers
- Final score: Edmonton Oilers 9, Vancouver Canucks 7
- Connor McDavid: one goal, four assists, 15th career five-point game
- Leon Draisaitl: two goals, one assist
- Evan Bouchard: one goal, two assists; NHL record eight points by a defenseman in his team’s first two games of a season
- Edmonton led 4-0 after one period and 8-2 late in the second
- Shorthanded goals by McDavid and Kasperi Kapanen came 34 seconds apart
- Marco Rossi: two goals, one assist for Vancouver
- Elias Pettersson: one goal, two assists for Vancouver
Entertainment First, Questions Second
Neither coach will frame a 9-7 game as a blueprint, and both have film they will want to correct before the weekend is out. Edmonton needs tighter third period defending with a lead. Vancouver needs a first period that does not require a miracle. Those are the sober takeaways, and they are real.
For fans, though, opening week is allowed to be fun before it becomes a systems lecture. A Canadian rivalry game with 16 goals, a five-point night from the best player in the sport, a record for a defenseman and a comeback that nearly landed is exactly the kind of night that pulls casual viewers into a season. Edmonton leaves Vancouver with the win and the highlight. Vancouver leaves with proof it can score with anyone, and a reminder that proof is not the same as points.
