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Bettors were no doubt licking their chops. An angry Edmonton team was coming into Vancouver after losing its home opener 6-5 in overtime to a Canucks team that I’m sure the Oilers thought they handily outplayed. 

Tristan Jarry was on the bench, and newcomer Devon Levi would easily steer the Oilers to a victory while Connor McDavid and Leon Draisatl pummeled the Canucks’ defence into submission. 

And yes, some of that happened. The Oilers pushed out to an almost improbable 8-2 lead not even halfway through the second period. 

Then the Canucks pushed back. With Marco Rossi doing a lot of creating and scoring—and Elias Pettersson chipping in when needed, too—the Canucks got within two goals before both teams would score again. In the end, after a Jamie Oleksiak bomb, it was 9-7 Edmonton, with none of the goals coming into an empty net. Improbable. And also super fun. A perfect tank game, really. 

Here’s our Straight recap.

Things we loved:

The home opener vibe. People were stoked, and the introduction video is a very cool and sleek blend of the past and the future, with videos of the Pacific Coliseum and players like Kirk McLean, Trevor Linden, and Pavel Bure blending seamlessly into newer ones, honouring players from different eras. It’s all set to a voiceover from Manny Malhotra, who rises to the occasion. Much better than invading some random planet or whatever the past few have been about. The ovation for Malhotra himself was also great. The building popped when he showed up on the screen. Newly acquired backup Leevi Merilainen mostly showed nicely in his first appearance in green and blue as he came in cold off the bench and only allowed one (admittedly not great) goal. He did make a ton of key saves, though, and we always like to see a goaltender wearing the mask of his old team. It’s just fun. It’s nice when Vintage Pettersson arrives every once in a while and we can all reminisce about what it was like. 

Things we didn’t love:

There were way too many Oilers fans in the crowd. Seriously, it seemed close to 50-50 at times, especially in the lower bowl. I’m not sure how that happens at a home opener, but the “Let’s Go Oilers” chants were far, far too loud. Brendan Gallagher taking a penalty on his first shift in front of the hometown crowd he hasn’t played for since the halcyon days of the Vancouver Giants was… not ideal. Again, we’re going to say it: it is horrific watching Vasili Podkolzin light it up for a rival squad. He had another two points tonight. 

Funniest moment: 

When a goal by Rossi was being reviewed by officials, the Canucks DJ chose “Heads Will Roll” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, an extremely fitting choice given that the chorus goes “Off with your head” and it really did look like the puck bounced in off Rossi’s head.

Three stars: 

He had five points, so…

The Canuck was all over the ice and was instrumental in the team’s kind of comeback. 

The official card will say Leon Draisatl in this spot, but what the heck, let’s go with Petey, who had three points and was credited with eight (!) hits. Yes, he did get walked by McDavid on one goal, but who wouldn’t?

Honourable Mention:

Paul Cotter scored another two points and played his ass off once again. 

https://x.com/Canucks/status/2105861044250005779

Best quote: 

“The good news for both sides is that we don’t have to see each other for awhile.” – Luke Schenn.