Cotter's OT Winner Caps Wild 6-5 Canucks Win Over Oilers Despite Bouchard's Historic Hat Trick
EDMONTON | Final: Vancouver 6, Edmonton 5 (OT)
The wildest game of opening night came last on the East Coast, and it had everything: a coaching return six years in the making, a historic hat trick from a defenseman, a three-goal comeback in the final minutes, and an overtime winner from a player in his first game with a new team. Paul Cotter lifted a backhand home 1:59 into overtime, and the Vancouver Canucks, the NHL's last-place team a season ago, beat the Edmonton Oilers 6-5 at Rogers Place.
It was Manny Malhotra's first game as an NHL head coach and Mike Babcock's first game behind any NHL bench since November 2019. Prime Minister Mark Carney was in the building for Edmonton's home opener.
How It Happened
Shorthanded strike. Edmonton controlled the early going and outshot Vancouver 8-3, but Kevin Lankinen made a big stop on a Leon Draisaitl one-timer. Moments later, Cotter scored short-handed at 9:51 of the first period, becoming the first player in Canucks history to score a short-handed goal in his team debut.
Bouchard answers twice. Evan Bouchard tied it early in the second. Marco Rossi restored Vancouver's lead on one of many Canucks odd-man rushes, and Bouchard answered again at 14:34 of the second, this time from a Connor McDavid pass, to send the game to the third tied 2-2.
Vancouver's three-goal blitz. The Canucks broke it open early in the third. Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Max Sasson scored, and Elias Pettersson capped a three-goal run on the power play at 5:15 of the period to make it 5-2. Rogers Place went quiet.
The comeback. Vasily Podkolzin scored midway through the period, and Bouchard completed his hat trick just 24 seconds later with a long point shot through a crowded net. Then, with Edmonton on a power play in the final minute, Podkolzin struck again with 42.5 seconds left to tie it 5-5 and send the building into a frenzy.
The winner. Vancouver generated three straight quality chances early in overtime, and the third one went in. Cotter took a feed in close and lifted a backhand over the goaltender to complete his two-goal night.
Standout Performers
Evan Bouchard, EDM: Three goals and two assists. He became the third defenseman in NHL history to score a hat trick in a season opener and the first defenseman in Oilers history with a multi-goal opener.
Paul Cotter, VAN: Two goals, one short-handed and one in overtime, in his first game with Vancouver after arriving as a free agent from New Jersey.
Vasily Podkolzin, EDM: Two goals on seven shots, including the tying power-play goal with 42.5 seconds left.
Kevin Lankinen, VAN: 32 saves on a night Edmonton threw 37 shots at him.
Max Sasson and Filip Hronek, VAN: Sasson had a goal and an assist, and Hronek added two assists.
Connor McDavid, EDM: Two assists in the first game of his two-year, $25 million contract.
The Struggles
Edmonton's defensive structure. The Oilers gave up six goals on just 23 shots, and Vancouver scored on 26% of its attempts. Babcock was blunt afterward: he pointed to turnovers, long shifts and poor decisions, and said his team should feel fortunate it came away with a point. Bouchard agreed the team needs to be far more detailed.
Vancouver's disappearing lead. The Canucks blew a 5-2 lead with less than 15 minutes to go. Against a team with McDavid and Draisaitl, that cannot happen often. Vancouver was also crushed on faceoffs, winning only 40% of draws.
Edmonton's lopsided effort. The Oilers won the shot battle 37-23, the faceoff battle 36-24 and the hit battle 38-13, and still lost. That points directly at defensive-zone coverage and rush defense, the areas Babcock will focus on first.
What It Means
For Vancouver: A team that finished 25-49-8 last season showed resilience, speed and finishing ability. Malhotra became only the fourth person to represent the Canucks as both a player and a head coach, joining Marc Crawford, Pat Quinn and Orland Kurtenbach, and he has a win in his first game. Pettersson, Lekkerimaki and Rossi all scored, which is a very good sign for Vancouver's forward depth.
For Edmonton: The comeback showed the Oilers' firepower is still elite, and Bouchard's night was historic. But after two straight trips to the Stanley Cup Final ended in disappointment and a rough season last year, Babcock was hired to install structure. Night one showed exactly why.
Up Next
These two teams meet again immediately, completing a home-and-home set.
Edmonton at Vancouver: Thursday, Oct. 1
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