Vancouver Canucks' goalie Casey DeSmith (29) makes the save as Akito Hirose (41) and Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid (97) battle for the puck during second period NHL action in Edmonton, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
EDMONTON – Nils Hoglander had a goal and an assist as the Vancouver Canucks continued their early season dominance over the Edmonton Oilers, emerging with a 4-3 victory on Saturday.
Andrei Kuzmenko, Jack Studnicka and Sam Lafferty also scored for the Canucks (2-0), who whipped the same Oilers 8-1 in their season-opener on Wednesday. Vancouver was winless in its first seven games last season.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a goal and two assists and Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid also scored for the Oilers (0-2), who outshot the visitors 41-16.
Edmonton came out looking for retribution for Wednesday’s loss and found it just 42 seconds into the opening period after a flurry of shots on Canucks goaltender Casey DeSmith paid off with Draisaitl poking it in from under his pads in the crease for his second goal of the young season.
The Canucks tied it midway through the first on the power play as a long shot by Quinn Hughes was tipped past Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner by Kuzmenko.
Vancouver took a 2-1 lead with two minutes to play in the first as Brock Boeser hustled to keep a puck onside and launched a long shot on net that was tipped past Skinner by Hoglander in tight.
Edmonton knotted the game back up two minutes into the second period on the power play as the puck came loose to McDavid during a mad scramble in front and he scored his first of the season.
However, the Canucks regained the lead less than a minute later when a giveaway allowed a two-on-none break with Elias Pettersson sending it to Studnicka, who sniped a shot through Skinner’s legs. Studnicka is currently with the Canucks as an emergency call-up.
The Oilers rallied back again with another power-play goal midway through the middle frame as Nugent-Hopkins walked in from the point and elected to shoot himself, beating DeSmith glove-side with a heavy wrist shot.
Vancouver once again surged in front three minutes into the third period as Lafferty cut in hard on net and managed to chip the puck past Skinner.
Edmonton almost tied it again on a two-man advantage nine minutes into the third, but a Draisaitl bullet went off the post.
NOTES
Edmonton came into the game with a 24-14-5 record in home openers. “¦ Vancouver forward Boeser played in his 400th career NHL game. Boeser was the star in Wednesday’s win over the Oilers with four goals. He became the 10th player in NHL history to score four goals in a season opener. “¦ Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm played in his first game after missing the entire training camp with an injury. “¦ Making his debut as an Oiler was forward Adam Erne, who attended camp on a professional tryout and earned a two-way contract. Erne spent the past four seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, dressing in 241 games while recording 27 goals and 35 assists. “¦ Nugent-Hopkins picked up his 400th career assist in the contest.
UP NEXT
Both teams return to the ice Tuesday, The Canucks play the second game of a five-game road trip in Philadelphia against the Flyers, while the Oilers are in Nashville to face the Predators.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2023.
