“Not the way we drew it up, for sure — obviously, a lot of really good things to be able to score five goals in a game. We don’t want to give up three in the third period; that’s something that we’ll definitely need to work on. But just the resiliency to stay with it for us was a huge factor in the game, and then guys stepping up in big ways,” said Malhotra in the postgame media availability.
Cotter, Max Sasson and Filip Hronek all had multi-point nights on Tuesday. The six goalscorers were Cotter (2), Marco Rossi, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Sasson, and Elias Pettersson.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- Defenceman Evan Bouchard had a whale of a game on Tuesday night, picking up the second hat trick of his career.
- Vasily Podkolzin found the back of the net twice and led the Oilers with seven shots on net.
- Tristan Jarry struggled in net on Tuesday, allowing six goals on 23 shots. The Oilers acquired Devon Levi this summer to help between the pipes, and he is the likely starter for Thursday’s game at Rogers Arena.
- Levi has 36 starts in his young career, posting a 17-17-2 record with a 3.29 goals-against average, and an .894% save percentage.
- Connor McDavid logged 22:51 in the season opener while Leon Draisaitl saw 21:15 of ice time. Bouchard led the team with 25:41 on the night.
The Story: Cotter’s Strong Debut
When Cotter signed with the Canucks in the summer, he knew he’d have an opportunity to show he could do more in the NHL than he’d shown in his young career. That was exactly the case on opening night, as he scored the first shorthanded goal of his pro career and later scored the game-winner in overtime.
“They’re a good team. They’ve been to the Cup Finals many times in the past couple years, so we know what we’re up against. But credit to us, I thought we did a great job,” said Cotter following the game.
“Manny had great words to us just to stay calm, play your game, and to have the trust of your coach in those situations. Not going crazy, just saying, ‘hey, make your plays, play your game. We’re winning for a reason.’ So yeah, I thought we did really well.”
His head coach was happy for the new Canuck and saw a lot that he liked in his debut.
“Really excited for him. He did a lot of really good things. Obviously, a shorthanded goal and an OT winner. Two pretty big moments for him,” said Malhotra. “But just the fact that he had limited minutes and their line jumped a couple shifts and didn’t get too much ice in the third, but his ability to stay composed and stay ready on the bench speaks a lot about his character.”
Cotter finished the game with two goals, three shots on net, two hits, and 11:51 of ice time. He played centre on the fourth line with Arshdeep Bains and Brendan Gallagher and also saw 1:52 on the penalty kill. Cotter has played only 7 minutes and 10 seconds of shorthanded ice time in his first five years as an NHL player.
When and Where to Watch
Thursday’s game starts at 7:00 p.m. PT, and you can watch on Sportsnet or listen to Brendan Batchelor’s radio call on KISS West Coast.
