EDMONTON — September 29, 2026: Paul Cotter scored 1:59 into overtime to give the Vancouver Canucks a 6–5 season-opening victory over the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place.
Vancouver led 5–2 early in the third period before Edmonton erased the three-goal deficit. Cotter then forced a turnover in the Oilers’ zone and converted a pass from Max Sasson for his second goal of the game.
Edmonton’s comeback forced overtime
Sasson finished with a goal and an assist. Marco Rossi, Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Elias Pettersson also scored for Vancouver, while Filip Hronek recorded two assists. Goaltender Kevin Lankinen made 32 saves.
Edmonton defenseman Evan Bouchard scored once in each period for the second hat trick of his career. He added two assists for a five-point night, becoming the first defenseman in NHL history to record five points in a season opener, according to the game report. Vasily Podkolzin scored twice, including the late power-play goal that tied the game, and Connor McDavid had two assists.
What the result means
The game gave Vancouver two points after the Canucks finished last in the league standings the previous season. It also showed both sides of the opener: Vancouver produced six goals and recovered in overtime, but lost a three-goal third-period lead.
The teams are scheduled to meet again Thursday in Vancouver. AskNovus is also tracking other completed openers, including Montreal’s 3–2 win over Toronto.
Featured image is an illustrative hockey-arena photograph and does not depict this game.
Sources and image credit
- NHL video and game note, September 30, 2026
- Reuters game report, September 30, 2026
- Photo by Anders Krøgh Jørgensen on Unsplash