Canucks erase 3-goal third-period deficit to beat Oilers 6-5 in overtime at Rogers Place

The Story

The Vancouver Canucks erased a three-goal third-period deficit and defeated the Edmonton Oilers 6-5 in overtime at Rogers Place on Tuesday, with Paul Cotter scoring the winner 1:59 into the extra period.

Cotter finished with two goals for Vancouver, which also got a goal and an assist from Max Sasson and two assists from Filip Hronek. Kevin Lankinen made 32 saves as the Canucks survived late pressure, after Edmonton scored five goals in regulation to keep the game tied late.

Edmonton’s response came through a pair of prolific third-period performances. Evan Bouchard recorded a hat trick and added two assists, while Vasily Podkolzin scored twice and Connor McDavid had two assists. Tristan Jarry finished with 17 saves.

Sasson said the Canucks felt in control after taking the lead, but the game shifted. “It’s a game of momentum, especially that game,” he said. “It felt like we were in control. We probably got a little too comfy. I think we were aware, though, of the star power they have over there, but a win’s a win so we’re not going to complain about that.”

Bouchard tied the game 5-5 with 43 seconds remaining in the third period, then Cotter ended it in overtime. Cotter’s winner came after he forced a turnover by Oilers defenseman Ryan Shea along the left boards, slipped the puck to Sasson while laying on the ice, and then collected a return feed from Sasson before scoring past Jarry.

Vancouver took control early, scoring on a short-handed play when Cotter made it 1-0 at 9:51 of the first period. Bouchard tied the game 1-1 at 16:26, and Marco Rossi gave the Canucks a 2-1 lead at 2:07 of the second period on a breakaway.

In the third period, Vancouver scored four times in a span of just over four minutes to turn a 3-goal deficit into a lead. Elias Pettersson made it 5-2 at 5:15 on a power-play goal, and Podkolzin closed the gap with two goals at 8:56 and then 43 seconds later to make it 5-5.

Rossi was a key part of Vancouver’s early offense, while Pettersson credited Hronek’s setup for his power-play goal. “I always try to give (Hronek) a blade to shoot at, and he shot,” Pettersson said. “The puck goes in the net and they didn’t have time to react to it. He made that play. It was all him.”

Edmonton’s coach, Mike Babcock, pointed to defensive breakdowns and the number of goals allowed after the game. “We started good, then we started turning over the puck, stayed out too long on the ice, made poor decisions,” he said. “We gave up six tonight and I don't know how many did we give up in exhibition? Five goals. Just think about that. ‘If we're going to do things right we're going to have success. If we play like this we're going to be chasing the game. To be honest with you, we're fortunate to get a point. Great comeback, but in the end we still gave up three chances in overtime in a minute and a half.”

Canucks coach Manny Malhotra said the team’s resiliency and key saves down the stretch helped secure the win. “Not the way we drew it up, for sure,” Malhotra said. “Obviously, a lot of really good things to be able to score five goals in a game. Obviously, we don’t want to give up three in the third period, that’s something that we’ll definitely need to work on, but just the resiliency to stay with it for us was a huge factor in the game. And then guys stepping up in big ways. “‘Lanks’ made some key saves, especially down the stretch there, and our kill did the job throughout the course of the game against, obviously, an elite power play.”