QUICK RECAP: Oilers 9, Canucks 7

VANCOUVER, BC – The Oilers scored nine goals, and they needed every one.

Thanks to five points from Connor McDavid, four points each from Leon Draisaitl & Evan Bouchard and Owen Michaels' first career NHL goal, the Edmonton Oilers outscored the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday to earn their first win of the season in a high-scoring 9-7 victory over their Pacific Division rivals.

"Very weird game," McDavid said. "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."

Michaels recorded his first NHL goal with 5:34 left in the first period from one knee in the slot off a pass delivered onto his tape by Mathieu Joseph from below the goal line, giving his team an early 2-0 lead as part of a four-goal opening frame for the Oilers that had them seemingly in the clear against the Canucks after 20 minutes.

Later in the second period, Connor McDavid & Kasperi Kapanen scored short-handed goals only 34 seconds apart, which proved vital as the Canucks battled back with four straight goals of their own to cut the Oilers' advantage to 8-6 with 12:23 left in the third period. 

Draisaitl's second tally of the game on a power play with 10:34 remaining in regulation stopped the host's late rally, allowing the Oilers to see out the 9-7 victory and split their opening home-and-away series with the Canucks after Tuesday's comeback fell short.

"You'd like it to be a lot cleaner than that coming down the stretch. But ultimately, a win's a win in this league, and we found a way to get a big win and get our season up and running," McDavid said.

On a tough night for goaltenders, Devon Levi stopped 15 of 22 shots for his first win in Blue & Orange, while Kevin Lankinen was shelled in the opposite crease by allowing eight goals on 20 shots before being lifted for Levi Meriläinen in the second period.

Bouchard had a goal & three assists and leads the NHL in scoring with nine points (4G, 5A) through the first two games of the season.

The Oilers return to home ice on Saturday to host the Seattle Kraken.

GOALS & HIGHLIGHTS

FIRST PERIOD

10:34: EDM 1, VAN 0 | Vasily Podkolzin (3) - Kasperi Kapanen, Connor McDavid

PODZY AT THE BACK DOOR! That's three goals this season for the Russian after putting away his second PPG in as many games on the back-door feed from Kasperi Kapanen, who also has points in back-to-back games.

Podkolzin has had a stellar start to the season in the first two games while taking advantage of playing alongside Connor McDavid & Leon Draisaitl – both at even strength and on the power play – thanks to the extra opportunity available due to the absences of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman.

5:34: EDM 2, VAN 0 | Owen Michaels (1) - Mathieu Joseph, Evan Bouchard

MAKE IT YOUR OWEN! A FIRST NHL GOAL FOR OWEN MICHAELS! Mathieu Joseph draws all the attention and feeds Michaels out front to beat Lankinen inside the post for his first career NHL goal before the netminder could even react.

After making his NHL debut on Tuesday, the dream keeps on growing with his first-ever goal, as he has never played a professional game since coming out of the NCAA and signing with the Oilers after winning a national championship with Western Michigan.

He becomes just the second undrafted player ever to register their first NHL goal with the Oilers, joining Taylor Fedun (Nov. 5, 2013 @ FLA), and is the 432nd different player to score a goal for the Oilers.

Joseph collected his 100th career NHL assist with his first assist as an Oiler.

5:11: EDM 3, VAN 0 | Evan Bouchard (4) - Unassisted

TWO GOALS IN 16 SECONDS! OILERS ARE DOMINATING! Bouchard gets credit for his quick shot along the boards that pinballs in off the stick of defenceman Tom Willander, who's guilty of an own goal for directing it past his own goalie.

The blueliner picked up where he left off after Tuesday's hat-trick & five-point performance in a losing effort, becoming only the third defenceman in the last 45 years to score three goals on Opening Night.

26.0: EDM 4, VAN 0 | Ryan Shea (1) - Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl

SHEA SNEAKS ONE IN! There's no stopping this Oilers team as they make it 4-0 before the first intermission on a low finish in the right circle from Shea, who was found in space by Connor McDavid for the captain's third assist. Draisaitl gets a second helper.

SECOND PERIOD

19:33: EDM 5, VAN 0 | Leon Draisaitl (1) - Evan Bouchard, Connor McDavid

DRAI DELIVERS DOWN LOW! The German has been all over it with chances in the first two games of the season, and it's an inauspicious chip from below the goal line that manages to find its way in off a body. Bouchard and McDavid factor in with the assists, giving McDavid four helpers and Bouchard a goal and two assists.

Bouchard's goal & assist in the first period made him just the second defenceman in franchise history to score at least one goal in each of the team’s first two games of a season.

The Oilers outshot the Canucks 14-2 in the first period and beat Lankinen on their first shot of the middle frame, continuing their dominance of their Pacific Division rivals.

15:29: EDM 5, VAN 1 | Paul Cotter (3) - Liam Ohgren

The Canucks get on the board with only their third shot as Paul Cotter scores his third goal of the season, cutting inside and taking advantage of Shakir Mulhamadullin coming into contact with Devon Levi to slide it home along the ice.

14:56: EDM 6, VAN 1 | Trent Frederic (1) - Isaac Howard

FREDDIE'S FIRST OF THE SEASON! Just 34 seconds after the Canucks got on the board, Frederic shovels in the rebound from Isaac Howard's effort in the slot.

14:13: EDM 6, VAN 2 | Brock Boeser (1) - Paul Cotter, Jamie Oleksiak

It's rapid-fire hockey on the West Coast as Brock Boeser rips a snapshot in off the post and in against Levi.

12:11: EDM 7, VAN 2 | Connor McDavid (1) (SHG) - Unassisted

TERRIFIC McDAVID MOVE! The captain has a four-point night after turning on the jets and scoring a fantastic short-handed goal by rounding the defence and sliding it around the outstretched left pad of Lankinen.

McDavid now has points in 25 of his last 26 regular-season games against Vancouver.

11:37: EDM 8, VAN 2 | Kasperi Kapanen (1) (SHG) - Unassisted

SHORTHANDED NO PROBLEM! The Finnish forward gets loose on a breakaway and puts it back across Lankinen with a Forsberg-esque move to let it slowly drift over the goal line – mirroring the breakaway goal he scored against the Flames during the preseason for Edmonton's second shorty in 34 seconds.

McDavid & Kapanen's shorties mark the 52nd time in franchise history the Oilers have scored multiple shorthanded goals in a game, and the first time since Feb. 11, 2023 against the Senators. 

Kapanen now has 99 career NHL goals.

0.1: EDM 8, VAN 3 | Ashdeep Bains (1) - Elias Pettersson, Filip Hronek

With just a tenth of a second on the clock, Ashdeep Bains puts home a rebound from Filip Hronek's shot on goal before the final buzzer.

THIRD PERIOD

18:07: EDM 8, VAN 4 | Marco Rossi (2) - Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Tom Willander

The Canucks aren't prepared to go quietly. With only 10 shots in the opening two frames, they're putting pucks on net with four shots in the first two minutes of the third, and their fourth leads to Marco Rossi putting away a backhand to make it 8-4.

15:17: EDM 8, VAN 5 |This game isn't over. Marco Rossi cross-checks Shakir Mukhamadullin in front and inadvertently shoulders the puck into the back of the net.

12:23: EDM 8, VAN 6 | Elias Pettersson (2) (PPG) - Marco Rossi, Brock Boeser

Max Jones takes an interference penalty, and the Canucks make him pay. Pettersson fires over the shoulder of Levi with the man advantage to extend Vancouver's run to four straight goals and reduce the deficit to two.

10:34: EDM 9, VAN 6 | Leon Draisaitl (2) (PPG) - Connor McDavid, Vasily Podkolzin

BREAK THE STREAK! The Oilers desperately needed to slow the Canucks' momentum, and the man advantage seized on the chance after Leon Draisaitl fired a quick low shot from the circle that went five-hole on Meriläinen.

1:29: EDM 9, VAN 7 | Jamie Oleksiak (1) - Filip Hronek, Elias Pettersson

Oleksiak makes it a two-goal game with a top-shelf snipe and the Canucks will pull their goalie for the extra man.

POST-GAME INTERVIEWS

LINEUPS

Oilers

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

Ekholm - Bouchard
Shea - Murphy
Walman - Mukhamadullin

Levi
Jarry

Canucks

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

Buium - Hronek
Oleksiak - Willander
Pettersson - Schenn

Lankinen
Meriläinen