EDMONTON — The Vancouver Canucks survived a wild opening-night swing at Rogers Place, watching a 5-2 third-period cushion disappear before Paul Cotter finished a 6-5 overtime win over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.
Cotter’s second goal of the night came 1:59 into the extra session and gave Manny Malhotra a victory in his first game behind Vancouver’s bench. The forward pressured Edmonton defenseman Ryan Shea into a turnover along the left wall, moved the puck to Max Sasson while down on the ice, then got back to his feet for Sasson’s return pass. Cotter cut to his backhand and beat Tristan Jarry for the deciding goal.
Sasson supplied a goal and an assist, while Filip Hronek set up two Vancouver goals. Kevin Lankinen stopped 30 shots. The Canucks had appeared ready to put the game away early in the third, only to spend the final minutes trying to contain an Edmonton surge led by Evan Bouchard and Vasily Podkolzin.
Bouchard recorded three goals and two assists for the Oilers, and Podkolzin scored twice. Connor McDavid contributed a pair of assists in Mike Babcock’s first game as Edmonton coach. Jarry made 17 saves in the loss.
A three-goal edge vanishes
Jonathan Lekkerimaki gave Vancouver a 3-2 lead 1:10 into the third after Isaac Howard turned over the puck. Lekkerimaki stepped into the upper edge of the right circle and sent a wrist shot through Jarry’s pads.
The Canucks extended the margin less than two minutes later. Sasson worked a give-and-go with Drew O’Connor before slipping a backhand between Jarry’s legs at 2:55. Elias Pettersson then redirected Hronek’s shot-pass on the power play at 5:15, making it 5-2 and putting Vancouver in control.
Edmonton’s response came quickly. Podkolzin converted Bouchard’s pass from the crease at 8:56, and Bouchard completed his hat trick just 24 seconds afterward to cut the gap to one.
With Jarry pulled during an Oilers power play late in regulation, Leon Draisaitl sent a pass across the ice to Podkolzin in the left circle. Podkolzin snapped a wrist shot over Lankinen’s glove with 43 seconds remaining, tying the game 5-5 and forcing overtime.
Cotter had opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal at 9:51 of the first period. Bouchard answered at 16:26, firing from the point through Zach Hyman’s screen and off the post.
Marco Rossi restored Vancouver’s lead early in the second. Liam Ohgren sent him behind the Edmonton defense, and Rossi beat Jarry on the blocker side on a breakaway at 2:07. Edmonton drew level again at 14:34 when McDavid collected the puck after Alex Formenton fell, then fed Bouchard in the low slot for a glove-side finish past Lankinen.
The clubs will meet again Thursday in Vancouver to close their season-opening home-and-home series.
