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Vancouver Canucks get outplayed by Oilers stars in season-opening 3-2 loss

October 3, 2019, 2:26 PM ET [313 Comments]
Carol Schram
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Wednesday October 2 - Edmonton Oilers 3 - Vancouver Canucks 2

Considering how often the Vancouver Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers play each other, the Canucks haven't fallen victim to Connor McDavid's prodigious skillset all that often.

But after an uncertain summer where McDavid worked to rehab a knee injury, he showed that his speed and slickness are still at Mach 10 when he burned the Canucks for the game-winning goal in the third period of the season opener in Edmonton — and put an end to the Canucks' five-season opening-night winning streak.



All told, it was a decent effort from the new-look Canucks, but not exactly edge-of-your-seat action — another reason why McDavid's goal stood out so much.

And if the Canucks are serious about making the playoffs this season, they can't afford to leave points on the table in games like these.

Here are your highlights from Wednesday night in Edmonton.



With so many changes on both teams over the summer, it was clear that preseason hadn't been enough to work out all the kinks. I'm not sure I've ever seen a game with three penalties for too many men on the ice — two against Edmonton and one against Vancouver.

The Canucks may also have suffered from Dave Tippett's excitement about finally having players as talented as McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on his roster. Draisaitl finished with a game-high 26:46 of ice time — 19 seconds more than top defenseman Darnell Nurse — and McDavid played 21:40, while nominal third-line centre Gaetan Haas logged just four shifts for a total of 2:11.

Travis Green's top forward was Brock Boeser, at 20:40, while Jake Virtanen was the only player in single digits at 9:11.

While McDavid's game-winner was the highlight of the night, Draisaitl was a force throughout. Playing on left wing with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in the middle and Zack Kassian on the right side, Draisaitl opened the scoring with an offensive-zone faceoff win against Bo Horvat, then drove to the net to pick up a tidy pass from Kassian, 5:42 into the first period.



Kassian looked good all game, and picked up his first goal of the year when he tied the game 2-2 midway through the third. He played like a guy who was originally drafted 13th overall and at 28, his unruly youth seems to be behind him.

I'm happy to see the ex-Canuck get this opportunity as he starts his fifth season in Edmonton — back in a plum role in the top six after grinding away on limited minutes and not much income as he resurrected his career.

As for the Canucks — early indications suggest that offense from the defense will indeed be a thing this year. Alex Edler got Vancouver's first goal of the year off a slap shot just after a power play expired midway through the second period.



The team's go-ahead goal to make the score 2-1 in the third was a tip from Tanner Pearson off a point shot from Tyler Myers. Quinn Hughes capitalized on the giveaway by Josh Archibald to start the play, and earned the second assist.



In terms of entertainment value, the best moment of the night for Canucks fans was a long sequence of offensive-zone pressure that ended with the first-period buzzer.



The momentum kicked up when Josh Leivo hit Darnell Nurse on the end boards, helping the Canucks gain possession for the better part of two shifts over two minutes. Quinn Hughes was dynamic, working along the right half-wall, and Chris Tanev kept the play alive by hanging back to keep the puck in the zone after the Oilers' clearing attempts.

The Oilers' main line of defense was Adam Larsson, who was credited with three blocked shots during that sequence. And if they'd had just a little more time, Petey and company probably would have been able to get the better of a tired group and beat Mike Smith.

Smith had a solid night in net to earn his first win in an Edmonton uniform, stopping 31 of 33 shots and kicking off the play that led to the winning goal with this sneaky move.



For his part, Tanner Pearson practically *was* the Canucks' offense. He logged 11 of those 33 shots, many from close range.

With the Canucks' next game in Calgary on Saturday, the team is now de-camping to Banff for a couple of days of team-building. They'll practice in Banff on Friday.
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