McDavid puts up three points, Edmonton Oilers rout listless Vancouver Canucks 7-3

Connor McDavid scored and notched a pair of assists as the Edmonton Oilers trounced the Vancouver Canucks 7-3 on Saturday.

“It was a step in the right direction, for sure,” McDavid said after the game. “Not an easy building to win in. A team that, obviously, we’ve got lots of history with and it’s a great win. Hopefully it’s something we can build on.”

Connor Brown added two goals, and Leon Draisaitl and Brett Kulak each added a goal and a helper for the Oilers (7-7-1).

“It was really tight checking game, that first period,” Brown said. “There was no space out there. We checked and did our thing and bent a little in the second, but I’m really proud of the way this group handled the third period. We went out there confidently and got the job done.”

Corey Perry and Victor Arvidsson also found the back of the net and Mattias Janmark contributed three assists.

Stuart Skinner stopped 17 of the 20 shots he faced in front of a crowd that cheered and jeered the Edmonton goalie.

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“We can be happy that we got seven goals and you think everything went really well; we won by four, we must have dominated,” Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said. “I don’t see it that way. Tonight, we we’re able to execute around the net, score some goals — it feels good, but I’m not sure it was our best.”

The Canucks (7-3-3) got a goal and an assist from Elias Pettersson, while Filip Hronek and Pius Suter also scored as Vancouver’s three-game win streak came to an abrupt halt.

Kevin Lankinen made 20 saves before he was replaced by Arturs Silovs midway through the third period. The Latvian goalie stopped all four shots he faced in relief.

The Canucks were playing without star sniper Brock Boeser, who is recovering from an upper-body injury after being hit in the head by Tanner Jeannot of the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday.

TAKEAWAYS

Canucks: Starts continue to be an issue for Vancouver. The team has given up the first goal in seven straight, conceding all of them in the first eight minutes of the game. The Canucks have rallied for comeback victories in most of those appearances, going 4-2-1 across the stretch.

Oilers: The lacklustre power play saw signs of life. With Hronek in the box for holding, McDavid tapped in a backdoor shot to boost Edmonton’s lead to 5-2 midway through the third period. The Oilers came into the night with the 26th power play in the league (14.3 per cent).

KEY MOMENT

Edmonton broke open the game 6:10 into the third when former Oilers defenceman Vincent Desharnais couldn’t clear a puck from in front of the Vancouver net. Brown picked it up and sent it up and in over Lankinen for his first goal of the game.

KEY STAT

McDavid now has 67 points (24 goals, 43 assists) in 41 career games against the Canucks — the most points he has against any NHL team.

UP NEXT

Canucks: Continue a six-game homestand Tuesday when they entertain the Calgary Flames.

Oilers: Host the New York Islanders on Tuesday.

&© 2024 The Canadian Press