EDMONTON — Mike Babcock’s first night behind the Edmonton Oilers bench ended with a point, an Evan Bouchard hat trick and a comeback that brought Rogers Place to life. It also ended with the new coach delivering a blunt assessment after a 6-5 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks: Edmonton has a long way to go without the puck.
The Oilers opened their season Tuesday with signs of the more disciplined defensive club Babcock was hired to build after replacing Kris Knoblauch on June 23. That structure did not last. Edmonton began chasing plays in its own zone, defenders stepped up at the wrong moments near the Vancouver blue line, and Tristan Jarry was left to deal with breakaways, odd-man attacks and uncovered Canucks around his crease.
Babcock said he never expected the transition to be simple, but called the performance a clear warning that his group needs immediate work. Edmonton started well, he said, then drifted away from its assignments. For Babcock, that cannot become the club’s standard.
Jarry surrendered six goals on 23 shots and said he needed to find one or two more saves that could have changed the night. Still, the goaltender had little protection on several of Vancouver’s best looks, as the Canucks repeatedly found space through the middle of the ice and off Edmonton mistakes.
The game was even at 2-2 entering the third period before Vancouver appeared to seize control with three goals in 4:05. Elias Pettersson capped that burst on the power play at 5:15, putting Edmonton in a deep hole in its opener.
Bouchard made sure the Oilers had a chance to climb out. The defenseman scored three times and added two assists in a five-point performance, while Vasily Podkolzin struck twice in the third. Podkolzin’s power-play marker with 43 seconds remaining tied the score and sent the game beyond regulation.
But Edmonton’s late push could not erase the breakdown that decided it. At 1:59 of overtime, Paul Cotter pressured Ryan Shea into a turnover along the left-side boards. Max Sasson fed Cotter as he cut into open ice toward the net, and Cotter lifted a backhand over Jarry for the winner.
Bouchard said the Oilers were not detailed enough in their first regular-season outing, pointing to the rush chances they allowed and the five-plus goals they conceded. He did not frame it as a matter of old habits necessarily returning, but rather a group still learning to execute consistently. Bad pinches and individual errors, he noted, are not problems that can be blamed on a system.
The adjustment period has been compressed. Training camp was shortened to accommodate the new 84-game schedule, and veteran players were limited to two preseason appearances. Babcock also represents a fresh voice in the room after a long absence from NHL coaching; his last NHL job ended when Toronto dismissed him 23 games into the 2019-20 season.
Bouchard said Babcock has been direct in explaining what he sees and how he expects the Oilers to play. The next test arrives quickly, with Edmonton heading to Vancouver on Thursday to finish the home-and-home series. Faceoff is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET on SN1 and SNP.
Babcock said the Oilers can succeed if they follow through on their details, but will spend too much time behind the play if they repeat Tuesday’s performance. He credited the comeback, while noting Edmonton still allowed three dangerous Vancouver chances in roughly the first minute and a half of overtime. The point was useful; the tape session figures to be considerably less forgiving.
