What Happened
Paul Cotter scored 1:59 into overtime to give the Vancouver Canucks a 6-5 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. Cotter also opened the scoring with a short-handed goal in his Canucks debut. Marco Rossi, Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Max Sasson and Elias Pettersson also scored for Vancouver, while Kevin Lankinen made 32 saves. Evan Bouchard recorded a hat trick and two assists for Edmonton, and Vasily Podkolzin scored twice. Tristan Jarry stopped 17 shots for the Oilers.
Key Details
- Cotter became the first Canucks player to score a short-handed goal in his team debut.
- Bouchard is the first Oilers defenceman with a multi-goal game in a season opener.
- Bouchard is the third NHL defenceman to record a hat trick in a season opener.
- The Canucks are 1-0-0; the Oilers are 0-0-1.
- Vancouver finished last season 25-49-8, last in the NHL.
What It Means
The win gives Vancouver a positive start after finishing last in the NHL last season. Cotter's debut performance, including a short-handed goal and the overtime winner, provided immediate value from a free-agent addition. For Edmonton, Bouchard's five-point night was a historic individual effort, but the Oilers allowed six goals and dropped the extra point at home.