Eight Points in Two Games: Evan Bouchard Makes History as Edmonton Outlasts Vancouver 9-7

Two games into the season, Edmonton and Vancouver have combined for 27 goals. The Oilers got the better of the second one, 9-7 on Thursday night, after leading 8-2 and then spending most of the third period hanging on.

Connor McDavid had a goal and four assists. Leon Draisaitl scored twice. But the line that will last from this game belongs to Evan Bouchard, who had a goal and two assists and became the first defenseman in NHL history with eight points in his first two games of a season. He had five of them on Tuesday, three goals and two assists, in a 6-5 loss to the same team.

Two short-handed goals in 34 seconds

The game looked finished midway through the second period. With Vancouver on the power play, McDavid and Kasperi Kapanen each broke away and scored, 34 seconds apart, to make it 8-2. Kevin Lankinen had already been pulled after 13 saves, and Leevi Merilainen, claimed off waivers last Friday, came on in relief.

Then the Canucks scored four straight. Elias Pettersson's power-play goal 7:37 into the third made it 8-6, and the building believed. Draisaitl ended that less than two minutes later with a power-play goal of his own.

Evan Bouchard's goal was one of eight points he has in two games.

Edmonton did this without two top-six forwards, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman. Owen Michaels scored his first NHL goal, Ryan Shea scored his first as an Oiler, and Vasily Podkolzin and Kapanen each had a goal and an assist.

Devon Levi, making his first NHL start since January 2025 with Buffalo, stopped 15 shots. Neither team's goaltending will be on the highlight reel.

For Vancouver, Marco Rossi scored twice and added an assist, Pettersson had a goal and two assists, and Paul Cotter, Brock Boeser, Arshdeep Bains and Jamie Oleksiak each had a goal and an assist.

Both teams are home Saturday. The Oilers host Seattle and the Canucks host Calgary.