QUICK RECAP: Canucks 6, Oilers 5 (OT)

EDMONTON, AB – Opening Night had its heroics, but not the result we’d hoped for.

Led by his second-career hat trick & a five-point performance from Evan Bouchard, along with two goals from Vasily Podkolzin, the Edmonton Oilers couldn’t complete the comeback on Tuesday after battling back to earn a point in a 6-5 overtime defeat to the Vancouver Canucks in their Home Opener at Rogers Place.

"You can tell it was our first regular season game," Bouchard said. "We've gotta be a lot more detailed than that. Giving up odd-man rushes and giving up six isn't gonna cut it."

Bouchard helped the Oilers erase two deficits to the Canucks in the opening 40 minutes with his first two goals, only for the visitors to score three times in a 4:05 span to begin the final frame and set the stage for a heroic push from the hosts to force overtime.

Bouchard’s hat-trick marker came only 24 seconds after Podkolzin scored his first of two goals midway through the third, with the Russian’s second with the man advantage coming with only 42.5 seconds left in regulation to help the Oilers battle back to earn a point.

In overtime, Paul Cotter scored his second goal of the evening 1:59 into the extra frame to give Edmonton’s Pacific Division rivals the victory and spoil Tuesday’s Home Opener.

"It's the first game, but you have to learn," said Tristan Jarry after making 17 saves on 23 shots. "You have to grow from every experience, and I think that's something that we'll do today."

Alex Formenton and Ryan Shea recorded their first points in Blue & Orange with assists.

Edmonton scored twice on the power play, but conceded a shorthanded goal and gave up another on the man advantage.

"We had some looks," Bouchard said. "When you're giving up one on the power play, it's never a good sign, especially for our group. We take pride in the power play being a difference maker, and it wasn't tonight and backfired on us."

The Oilers will rematch the Canucks on the road this Thursday at Rogers Arena.

Read below for live updates, highlights, interviews, stats and more.

GOALS & HIGHLIGHTS

FIRST PERIOD

19:12: First minute and another strong first impression from Vasily Podkolzin.

The Russian was alongside Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl all Training Camp & Preseason, but was back with regular linemates Leon Draisaitl and Kasperi Kapanen after news this morning that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins wouldn't be available.

Podkolzin forced Kevin Lankinen into an early save on a one-timer in the slot that was set up by Kapanen after coming over the blue line. He finished with four shots in 6:23 of total ice time in the first period, including 2:23 over two power plays in the opening 20 minutes.

10:09: VAN 1, EDM 0 | Paul Cotter (SHG) - unassisted

An unlucky bounce for the hosts. With all the pressure and an early 8-2 shot advantage as they reached the midway point of their first power play drawn by Isaac Howard, an attempted one-timer from Leon Draisaitl was blocked and fell onto the tape of Paul Cotter, forcing Evan Bouchard to give up the shooting lane on a two-on-one that was ripped top shelf on Jarry to open the scoring.

3:34: EDM 1, VAN 1 | Evan Bouchard (1) - unassisted

BOUCHARD BURIES IT! The puck gets flipped into his path off a faceoff before No. 2 walks into the middle and finds his spot to the low glove side of Kevin Lankinen, with Zach Hyman in front providing the screen.

The 26-year-old and newly minted Oilers Assistant Captain is off to a flying start this season, playing in a pairing with regular partner Mattias Ekholm. He's looking to build on a Norris-worthy campaign in 2025-26 with 21 goals and 74 assists in all 82 games last season.

SECOND PERIOD

17:53: VAN 2, EDM 1 | Marco Rossi (Liam Ohgren, Filip Hronek)

Liam Ohgren turns with the puck inside the right circle in the Canucks' zone and hits Marco Rossi cutting through the middle of the defence for a breakaway that sneaks under the right arm of Jarry to restore the lead early in the middle frame.

17:32: Jamie Oleksiak takes one away from Connor McDavid in the left circle with a vital block that keeps the Canucks up one early in the second period.

14:36: EDM 2, VAN 2 | Evan Bouchard (2) - Connor McDavid (1), Alex Formenton (1)

BOUCHARD x2! Are we seeing Evan unleashed this season?

Already on the board in the first period, the defenceman joins the rush and capitalizes on Alex Formenton working the puck loose along the boards for Connor McDavid, who picked it up and fed him in front to Bouchard on his backhand before it was pulled onto his forehand and dispatched past the sliding Kevin Lankinen to even things up.

Formenton picks up his first point in Blue & Orange, along with McDavid picking up his first helper of the campaign.

2:34: Tristan Jarry would've been feeling hard done by allowing two goals on two separate one-on-one opportunities in the opening 40 minutes, but the 30-year-old got down with his left pad to deny a quick low effort from Drew O'Connor to keep it tied going into the second intermission.

THIRD PERIOD

18:50: VAN 3, EDM 2 | Jonathan Lekkerimäki (1) - Jake DeBrusk, Jamie Oleksiak

Lekkerimäki evades Ryan Shea in the neutral zone along the benches to find space down the right side to skate in and shoot five-hole on Jarry to restore the lead for the Canucks.

17:05: VAN 4, EDM 2 | Max Sasson (1) – Drew O’Connor, Linus Karlsson

Off a turnover, O’Connor sifts it behind the defence inside Edmonton’s zone for Sasson to slide it five-hole again on Jarry and make it a two-goal game with two goals in 1:45.

14:45: VAN 5, EDM 2 | Elias Pettersson (1) – Filip Hronek, Brock Boeser

Make it three for the Canucks in the final frame. This time, it’s Pettersson (the older one) deflecting home a low effort from Hronek delivered onto his stick in front of Jarry.

11:04: VAN 5, EDM 3 | Vasily Podkolzin (1) – Evan Bouchard, Ryan Shea

PODZY PICK-ME-UP! The Russian gets into the blue paint to put away a loose puck and give the Oilers something to work with, down two to the Canucks with over 11 minutes remaining.

Bouchard’s primary helper is his third point of the night, while Ryan Shea records his first Oilers point with the secondary helper – the second player tonight to get his first point in Blue & Orange after Formenton’s earlier assist.

10:42: VAN 5, EDM 4 | Evan Bouchard (3) – Connor McDavid

BOUCH HATTY! WE’RE WITHIN ONE! Only 24 seconds after Podkolzin got one back, it’s Bouchard turning and letting fly a deceptive snap shot that goes all the way through traffic and in off the crossbar to make it 5-4 with over half the final period to play.

7:17: The Oilers have the chance to tie it on the power play with Max Sasson in the box, but their best chance comes right at the end of the man advantage as Kasperi Kapanen’s fast rush leads to the puck tricking through Lankinen’s five-hole but outside the far post.

1:52: After needing a critical penalty kill, the Oilers go to a late power play with the chance to tie it.

42.5: EDM 5, VAN 5 | Vasily Podkolzin (2) – Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard

VASILY SAVES THE DAY! LESS THAN A MINUTE TO GO ON THE POWER PLAY!

Leon Draisaitl feeds him in space in the left circle, and the Russian punishes his former team with a wicked snipe over Lankinen’s shoulder that was in and out of the net in a flash. What a hockey game. The helper is Draisaitl’s first point, but what can you say about Bouchard? That’s a second assist and FIVE POINTS for No. 2 on the blueline.

OVERTIME

4:00: Jarry makes a terrific glove save on Zeev Buium in extra time!

3:01: VAN 6, EDM 5 | Paul Cotter (2) – Max Sasson

That’s game. The comeback falls short of earning the extra point.

Paul Cotter battles against Ryan Shea along the boards, gets up first and is fed in alone by Sasson before backhanding the winner past Jarry.

LINEUPS

Oilers

Formenton - McDavid - Hyman
Podkolzin - Draisaitl - Kapanen
Jones - Dach - Joseph
Howard - Michaels - Frederic

Ekholm - Bouchard
Walman - Murphy
Shea - Mukhamadullin

Jarry
Levi

Canucks

DeBrusk - Pettersson - Lekkermäki
Ohgren - Rossi - Boeser
O'Connor - Sasson - Karlsson
Bains - Cotter - Gallagher

Buium - Hronek
Oleksiak - Willander
Pettersson - Schenn

Lankinen
Meriläinen

POST-GAME INTERVIEWS

Bouchard on breaking old habits while adapting to new systems under Coach Babcock:

“I wouldn't say they're hard to break. I think it's just about buying in, less thinking, and it’s new. You're gonna have some hiccups.  But there are little things that aren't the system's fault. Whether it was a bad pinch or giving up odd-man rushes like we did tonight, it's not going to go well.”

Bouchard on if they generated enough offensively in the first 40 minutes:

“Obviously not, no. Like you said, we had the puck, we were playing perimeter, but you can see when we kept things simple.  We put it in on the forecheck, checked their D, and we had the slot open, but we just didn't do that enough.”

Jarry on his performance with 17 saves on 23 shots:

“I think just doing a better job of managing the ups and downs. There were some moments in the game where I could have done a better job, and I think that could have put us in a better place.”

“I think just for myself, I have to get better in [breakaways].  I think I need one or two of those. I think that's the game changer there, and I think that puts us in a better place.”

Babcock on his observations from the game:

“I thought we started well, and then we didn’t do things right. We turned the puck over. We stayed out too long on the ice. We made poor decisions. And we gave up six tonight. I think we gave up five goals in exhibition, so just think about that.

"The bottom line is that if we want to do things right, we’re going to have a lot of success, and if we want to play like that, we’ll be chasing the game. To be honest, I feel fortunate we got a point. It was a great comeback by us in the end.”