McDavid leads Oilers past Canucks 9-7 despite late Vancouver comeback.
Evan Bouchard added a goal and two assists, giving him eight points through Edmonton’s first two games of the season. That makes him the first defenseman in NHL history to reach that mark. Bouchard entered Thursday after recording three goals and two assists in Edmonton’s 6-5 season-opening loss to Vancouver on Tuesday. Leon Draisaitl scored twice and added an assist for Edmonton. Vasily Podkolzin and Kasperi Kapanen each finished with a goal and an assist, while Owen Michaels and Ryan Shea also scored. Michaels recorded his first NHL goal, while Shea scored his first goal with the Oilers. Devon Levi made his first NHL start since Jan. 20, 2025, when he was with the Buffalo Sabres. He finished with 15 saves. Vancouver received two goals and an assist from Marco Rossi, while Elias Pettersson contributed a goal and two assists. Paul Cotter, Brock Boeser, Arshdeep Bains and Jamie Oleksiak each scored once and added an assist. Kevin Lankinen stopped 13 shots before leaving the game midway through the second period. Leevi Merilainen entered in relief and made 10 saves on 11 shots. Edmonton appeared to take control after jumping out to an 8-2 lead in the second period. McDavid and Kapanen scored short-handed goals 34 seconds apart while Vancouver was on the power play.
The Canucks responded with four consecutive goals, cutting Edmonton’s lead to 8-6 when Pettersson scored on the power play 7:37 into the third period. Draisaitl stopped Vancouver’s comeback attempt less than two minutes later, scoring on Edmonton’s power play to restore a three-goal advantage. The Oilers played without top-six forwards Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman. Vancouver will host the Calgary Flames on Saturday, while Edmonton will return home to face the Seattle Kraken.
