Oilers Split Wild Home and Away Series with the Canucks to Start the Season

To say the Edmonton Oilers have gotten off to a wild start to their season would be an understatement. They began with a home-and-away series against the Vancouver Canucks, and after losing the first game 6-5 in overtime on home ice, they salvaged a series split with a 9-7 barnburner win on the road.

Oilers Split Wild Home and Away Series 

In the first game, the Oilers forced overtime in a 6-5 loss after falling behind 5-2 in the third period. Fans in Edmonton went wild, then went silent when the Oilers gave up the game-winner 1:59 into OT. Evan Bouchard had a hat trick and two assists in the losing effort, and Connor McDavid had two assists.

You would be hard-pressed to think the second game of the series could be more exciting, but 16 goals were scored with the Oilers beating the Canucks 9-7. Edmonton blew out of the gates, taking a 4-0 lead in the first period, and they ended up winning by two goals despite being outscored 4-1 in the third period.

In the win, Leon Draisaitl had two goals and an assist, McDavid lit the lamp once and had four assists, and Bouchard had a goal and two assists.

Goalie Issues Early On 

In the off-season, the Oilers signed free-agent goalie Frederik Andersen as their #1 this season, but he began the season on IR, and the team hopes he returns in December. The sooner he comes back, the better, given the small sample size of goalie play in the first two games.

Last season, Tristan Jarry came over to Edmonton mid-season in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins, struggled, and was relegated to the #2 G role. He did not help his cause in the season-opener, where he took the loss, giving up six goals on only 23 shots. In the Oilers’ win in the last game, Devon Lee, who last played in the NHL in the 2024-2025 season, notched a win despite giving up seven goals on only 22 shots.

Early, but Still a Little Concerning 

While it is only two games into the season, there is cause for concern with the Oilers. They came into the season with defensive issues after ranking 25th in GAA last season. In the first two games, they gave up 13 goals to a Canucks’ team that had, by far, the fewest points in the NHL last season and ranked second-to-last in goals per game (2.56).

Up Next 

In their next game, the Oilers host the Seattle Kraken on Saturday night, then hit the road for a three-game California road trip facing the Ducks, Kings, and Sharks.