Connor McDavid’s five-point night powers Oilers past Canucks in 9-7 shootout

Connor McDavid delivered a dominant offensive performance Thursday night, recording five points to lead the Edmonton Oilers to a 9-7 win over the Vancouver Canucks. Playing at Rogers Arena in their second meeting of the week, the two Pacific Division rivals combined for 16 goals in another wild start to the NHL season.

McDavid notched his first goal of the year and added four assists as the Oilers piled up offence despite missing top-six forwards Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman. Leon Draisaitl supported the captain with two goals and an assist, while Vasily Podkolzin and Kasperi Kapanen each chipped in a goal and a helper.

On the blue line, Evan Bouchard continued his blistering opening week. With a goal and two assists, he pushed his season totals to four goals and four assists through Edmonton’s first two games. That eight-point outburst makes him the first defenceman in NHL history to reach that mark over his team’s opening two contests.

Depth scoring, short-handed strikes fuel Edmonton win

Edmonton’s attack also got a lift from its supporting cast. Owen Michaels scored his first NHL goal, while Ryan Shea recorded his first as an Oiler. In net, Devon Levi made his first NHL start since January 20, 2025, when he was with the Buffalo Sabres, turning aside 15 of 22 shots in a game where chances came in waves.

The Oilers seized control early, striking twice in quick succession in the first period when Michaels and Bouchard scored only 16 seconds apart. Midway through the second, Edmonton stunned the home crowd on a Vancouver power play, as McDavid and Kapanen both scored on short-handed breakaways just 34 seconds apart to stretch the lead to 8-2.

Canucks’ late surge falls short after goaltending change

The Canucks, who had edged the Oilers 6-5 in overtime in Tuesday’s season opener, again found themselves pulled into a track meet. Marco Rossi scored twice in the third period and added an assist, while Elias Pettersson put up a goal and two helpers as Vancouver mounted a late push. Paul Cotter, Brock Boeser, Arshdeep Bains and Jamie Oleksiak each finished with a goal and an assist, powering a five-goal third that made the finish tense.

Vancouver’s goaltending carousel reflected the chaos of the night. Starter Kevin Lankinen allowed eight goals on 20 shots before being replaced midway through the second period. Leevi Merilainen, claimed on waivers Friday and still wearing an Ottawa Senators mask, stopped 10 of 11 shots in relief. The Canucks ended the game with more hits (27) than shots on goal (20), underscoring a physical but loose contest where defensive structure often took a back seat to offence.

With the result, Edmonton moves to 1-0-1 on the young season, while Vancouver sits at 1-1-0. The Canucks will stay home to face the Calgary Flames on Saturday, and the Oilers return to Edmonton to host the Seattle Kraken that same night as both clubs continue a busy opening week.