Paul Cotter caps Vancouver's 6-5 overtime escape after Edmonton's late rally

A 2-2 game turned in four minutes

The first 40 minutes set up an even contest. Cotter opened the scoring for Vancouver at 9:51 of the first period on a snap shot, and Bouchard answered unassisted at 16:26. Vancouver moved ahead again when Marco Rossi scored at 2:07 of the second, with Liam Ohgren and Filip Hronek drawing the assists, but Bouchard pulled Edmonton level once more at 14:34 off passes from Connor McDavid and Alex Formenton.

Then the Canucks ripped the game open in a burst. Jonathan Lekkerimaki scored 1:10 into the third period, Max Sasson added a backhand at 2:55, and Elias Pettersson tipped one in at 5:15. In a span of 4:05, the score jumped from 2-2 to 5-2, with Vancouver getting contributions from three different scorers and Hronek collecting his second assist of the night.

That run gave Vancouver the kind of cushion that should settle a road game, and it was built without a heavy shot advantage. The Canucks finished with 23 shots, but they were efficient, and the supporting offence mattered. Sasson finished with a goal and an assist, Hronek had two assists from the blue line, and Brock Boeser, Jake DeBrusk, Drew O'Connor, Linus Karlsson and Ohgren all found their way onto the scoresheet.

Bouchard nearly steals it, Cotter finishes it

Edmonton's response was immediate and forceful. Vasily Podkolzin cut the lead to 5-3 at 8:56 of the third with Bouchard and Ryan Shea assisting, and only 24 seconds later Bouchard scored again to make it 5-4 off a McDavid feed. The equalizer came late, at 19:17, when Podkolzin struck for his second of the night from Leon Draisaitl and Bouchard.

That sequence turned Bouchard into the game's central figure for Edmonton. He was involved in all five Oilers goals, finishing with a hat trick and two assists. McDavid added two assists, and Podkolzin supplied the late finishing touch twice. Edmonton also pushed the overall flow of the numbers, outshooting Vancouver 35-23, outhitting the Canucks 37-13 and winning 60 per cent of the faceoffs.

But the final touch belonged to Cotter. At 1:58 of overtime, he beat Tristan Jarry with a backhand off a setup from Sasson, sealing Vancouver's sixth goal and his second of the night. Kevin Lankinen finished with 30 saves for the Canucks, while Jarry stopped 17 shots for Edmonton. Vancouver also found an edge on special teams, scoring once on the power play and once shorthanded, while Edmonton went 1-for-4 with the extra man.

Our take: entertaining offence, obvious warnings

For Vancouver, the result is worth celebrating and still worth examining hard. Scoring six times on the road usually carries a team comfortably home, yet the Canucks still had to survive overtime after leading 5-2. The warning signs are plain in the totals: 35 shots against, a 40 per cent night on draws and 15 giveaways. Vancouver blocked 21 shots, with Elias N. Pettersson recording five and Hronek three, and that work helped preserve the win, but it also shows how much defending was required.

Edmonton's read is almost the mirror image. The Oilers created more volume, won more faceoffs and got a five-point performance from Bouchard, which is usually enough to take control of a game. Instead, six goals against on 23 shots and 19 giveaways left them chasing what they had already let slip. When a team gets a hat trick from a defenceman and two late goals from Podkolzin, the expectation is to bank the comeback. Instead, the Oilers were left with a thrilling rally and a single point, while Vancouver escaped with the one finish that mattered most.

Scoring moments

1. 1st · 9:51

   Paul Cotter Goal (1) Snap Shot, assists: none

2. 1st · 16:26

   Evan Bouchard Goal (1) Snap Shot, assists: none

3. 2nd · 2:07

   Marco Rossi Goal (1) Snap Shot, assists: Liam Ohgren (1), Filip Hronek (1)

4. 2nd · 14:34

   Evan Bouchard Goal (2) Snap Shot, assists: Connor McDavid (1), Alex Formenton (1)

5. 3rd · 1:10

   Jonathan Lekkerimaki Goal (1) Snap Shot, assists: Jake DeBrusk (1), Jamieson Oleksiak (1)

6. 3rd · 2:55

   Max Sasson Goal (1) Backhand, assists: Drew O'Connor (1), Linus Karlsson (1)

7. 3rd · 5:15

   Elias Pettersson Goal (1) Tip-In, assists: Filip Hronek (2), Brock Boeser (1)

8. 3rd · 8:56

   Vasily Podkolzin Goal (1) Snap Shot, assists: Evan Bouchard (1), Ryan Shea (1)

9. 3rd · 9:20

   Evan Bouchard Goal (3) Wrist Shot, assists: Connor McDavid (2)

10. 3rd · 19:17

    Vasily Podkolzin Goal (2) Snap Shot, assists: Leon Draisaitl (1), Evan Bouchard (2)

11. OT · 1:59

    Paul Cotter Goal (2) Backhand, assists: Max Sasson (1)