Game Recap: Oilers Survive Canucks Rally To Earn Wild 9-7 Victory

By Genna Cristia Tamayo

October 2, 2026 Game Recap: Oilers Survive Canucks Rally To Earn Wild 9-7 Victory

Connor McDavid Records Five Points As Edmonton Builds An Eight-Goal Lead Before Vancouver's Late Push Falls Short At Rogers Arena

The Edmonton Oilers answered their season-opening overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks with a nine-goal offensive performance Thursday night, defeating Vancouver 9-7 at Rogers Arena on October 1, 2026, to split the opening two-game home-and-home series between the Pacific Division rivals. Edmonton entered the matchup after losing 6-5 in overtime to Vancouver in the season opener on September 29, but the Oilers responded by producing four goals in the first period and four more in the second before holding on through a frantic third period. The official NHL scoring summary shows Edmonton finished with 31 shots on goal compared with Vancouver's 22, while the Oilers went 2-for-5 on the power play and the Canucks went 1-for-3. Edmonton also won the special-teams battle in a major way by scoring twice shorthanded, with Connor McDavid and Kasperi Kapanen finding the net 34 seconds apart during the second period. McDavid led the Oilers with five points, recording one goal and four assists, while Leon Draisaitl produced two goals and one assist and Evan Bouchard finished with one goal and two assists. Vasily Podkolzin and Kapanen each added a goal and an assist, while Owen Michaels and Ryan Shea also scored for Edmonton. The opening period immediately established Edmonton's control. Podkolzin opened the scoring at 9:26 on the power play after receiving a pass from Kapanen, with McDavid also earning an assist. Michaels then scored his first career NHL goal at 14:26, converting a chance in the slot after Mathieu Joseph delivered the puck to him from below the goal line. Only 16 seconds later, Bouchard made it 3-0 with an unassisted goal at 14:42. Shea then extended the advantage to 4-0 with only 26 seconds remaining in the period, scoring from the right circle after receiving a pass from McDavid, with Draisaitl also assisting. Edmonton finished the opening period with a 14-2 advantage in shots on goal, leaving Vancouver with little opportunity to establish offensive rhythm. The four-goal opening frame gave Edmonton a commanding position and represented a major turnaround from the first meeting between the teams, when Vancouver had rallied from a 5-2 deficit before winning in overtime.

McDavid And Draisaitl Continue Edmonton's Offensive Surge

Edmonton's attack continued immediately after the first intermission, with Draisaitl scoring only 27 seconds into the second period to push the Oilers' advantage to 5-0. Draisaitl scored from below the goal line, with Bouchard and McDavid receiving assists on the play. Vancouver finally answered at 4:31 when Paul Cotter scored to make it 5-1, but Edmonton responded just 33 seconds later through Trent Frederic, who restored the five-goal lead. Boeser then scored at 5:47 to bring Vancouver within four, but the Canucks could not slow Edmonton's offensive pressure. At 7:49, McDavid scored his first goal of the season while shorthanded, taking advantage of a Vancouver turnover and beating Kevin Lankinen. Just 34 seconds later, Kapanen also scored shorthanded to make it 8-2. Those consecutive short-handed goals became a defining sequence of the game because they gave Edmonton an enormous advantage while Vancouver was attempting to generate momentum through its power play. Vancouver added a goal from Arshdeep Bains with only 1.1 seconds remaining in the period, making the score 8-3 after 40 minutes. McDavid's performance was particularly significant. He finished with one goal and four assists for five points, while his four assists and five total points placed him at the center of virtually every important Edmonton scoring sequence. The NHL's official recap also noted that McDavid became the third player in Oilers history to record at least five assists through his team's first two games of a season, joining Draisaitl and Wayne Gretzky. Bouchard continued his historic start as well. After recording three goals and two assists in Edmonton's first game, he added one goal and two assists against Vancouver, giving him eight points through the first two games. The NHL reported that Bouchard became the first defenseman in NHL history to record eight points through his team's first two games of a season. Draisaitl's three-point performance also gave him an important role in the offensive explosion, while Podkolzin and Kapanen each finished with two points. The Oilers' scoring was not dependent on one line or one player, as seven different Edmonton players scored during the game. The team also produced two power-play goals and two shorthanded goals, creating a major special-teams advantage that helped turn the game into what appeared to be a comfortable Edmonton victory heading into the third period.

Vancouver Launches A Furious Third-Period Comeback

The Canucks entered the third period trailing 8-3, but instead of allowing the game to become a routine Edmonton victory, Vancouver produced one of the most dramatic stretches of the night. Marco Rossi began the comeback at 1:53 of the third period, scoring to reduce Edmonton's advantage to four goals. Rossi struck again at 4:43, making it 8-5 and giving Vancouver two goals in the opening 4:43 of the period. The Canucks then moved within two at 7:37 when Elias Pettersson scored on the power play, with Rossi and Boeser assisting. Vancouver had suddenly scored three unanswered goals and turned an eight-goal Edmonton advantage into an 8-6 game with more than 12 minutes remaining. The Canucks' third-period response was especially notable because Edmonton had controlled the game for most of the first 40 minutes. Vancouver finished the final period with 12 shots on goal compared with Edmonton's eight, reversing the shot advantage from the opening period. However, Edmonton found an important answer when Draisaitl scored his second goal of the night at 9:26 of the third period on the power play. McDavid and Podkolzin assisted on the goal, which restored Edmonton's three-goal advantage at 9-6. Vancouver continued to pressure the Oilers and moved within two again at 18:31 when Jamie Oleksiak scored his first goal of the season, with Filip Hronek and Pettersson earning assists. The Canucks had the final 89 seconds to attempt another push, but Edmonton held on to secure the victory. Rossi finished the night with two goals and one assist, while Pettersson recorded one goal and two assists. Boeser, Cotter, Bains and Oleksiak each finished with one goal and one assist. Vancouver's seven goals demonstrated that the Canucks were able to generate substantial offense despite spending most of the night behind on the scoreboard. At the same time, the first-period deficit proved too large to completely overcome. Vancouver was held to only two shots in the opening 20 minutes and entered the first intermission down four goals. The comeback showed the Canucks' ability to respond offensively, but Edmonton's early advantage and timely special-teams scoring ultimately kept Vancouver from completing the rally.

Edmonton's Offense Delivers While Goaltending Faces A Difficult Night

The final numbers reflected an unusually offensive game for both teams. Edmonton finished with 31 shots on goal, 20 hits, 17 blocked shots and 19 giveaways, while Vancouver recorded 22 shots, 28 hits, 12 blocked shots and 27 giveaways. The Canucks controlled the faceoff battle, winning 35 of 59 draws for 59.3 percent compared with Edmonton's 24-for-59 mark at 40.7 percent. Despite losing the faceoff battle, Edmonton's ability to create scoring chances and capitalize on special teams allowed the Oilers to maintain their lead for most of the game. The Oilers went 2-for-5 on the power play, while Vancouver went 1-for-3. Edmonton's four special-teams goals were particularly important because two came shorthanded, giving the Oilers a major advantage during a game in which both teams generated significant offensive opportunities. Devon Levi made his Oilers regular-season debut in net and finished with 15 saves on 22 shots for a .682 save percentage. The official NHL event summary confirms that Levi played 59:51 and allowed all seven Vancouver goals. At the opposite end, Kevin Lankinen started for Vancouver but was pulled after allowing eight goals on 20 shots. Leevi Meriläinen entered in relief and stopped the remaining 10 shots he faced. The goaltending statistics underline just how unusual the game became, with Edmonton scoring nine times on 31 shots and Vancouver scoring seven times on 22 shots. Edmonton's offensive leaders were clear: McDavid finished with five points, Draisaitl had three, and Bouchard had three. Podkolzin and Kapanen each added two points, while Frederic, Michaels and Shea each scored once. Michaels' goal was particularly significant because it was the first NHL goal of his career. For Vancouver, Rossi and Pettersson led the way with three-point performances, while Boeser, Cotter, Bains and Oleksiak each produced two points. The individual production from both clubs explains why the game remained competitive despite Edmonton's massive early advantage. The Oilers created enough offense to build an 8-2 lead, while Vancouver's top contributors continued producing until the final minutes. Ultimately, Edmonton's early execution and special-teams production provided enough separation to withstand Vancouver's late surge.

Oilers Split The Series As Both Teams Take Different Lessons

Edmonton's 9-7 victory gave the Oilers their first win of the 2026-27 season and evened the opening home-and-home series against Vancouver at one game apiece. The Oilers now stand at 1-0-1, while the Canucks are 1-1-0 after opening the season with consecutive games against Edmonton. The result was shaped by Edmonton's ability to establish control early and generate offense throughout the first two periods. The Oilers scored four times in the opening period, four times in the second and once in the third, while Vancouver went scoreless in the first, scored three times in the second and four times in the third. McDavid's five-point performance, Draisaitl's two-goal, three-point night and Bouchard's three-point performance were central to the victory, while Podkolzin, Kapanen, Michaels and Shea also found the net for Edmonton. The Oilers also received an important first NHL goal from Michaels and two shorthanded goals during the second period. Vancouver, however, demonstrated significant offensive resilience after falling behind 8-2. Rossi scored twice in the third period, Pettersson added a power-play goal, and Oleksiak scored late to bring the Canucks within two. Vancouver's seven goals came from six different players, with Rossi the only Canuck to score twice. The game therefore provided a split result in more ways than one: Edmonton secured the win, but Vancouver showed that its offense could continue creating chances even after falling deeply behind. The official season series is now tied 1-1, with the teams scheduled to meet again in Vancouver on November 7 and in Edmonton on March 21. For the Oilers, the immediate result is a first victory under coach Mike Babcock and an offensive performance that produced nine goals. For Vancouver, the loss followed a 6-5 overtime victory against the same opponent two nights earlier, meaning the Canucks have scored 13 goals across the first two games of the season against Edmonton. The 9-7 final also means the opening two games between these Pacific Division rivals have produced 27 total goals. Edmonton ultimately secured the second meeting because its four-goal first period and four-goal second period created enough separation to survive Vancouver's four-goal third-period comeback. The Oilers leave Rogers Arena with the victory, while the Canucks leave the series with one win and a clear demonstration of their ability to generate offense even when facing a significant deficit.

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