The Edmonton Oilers earned their first win of the season on Saturday night beating the Vancouver Canucks 3–1 at Rogers Place. Early on, Captain Connor McDavid drew a holding penalty on Derek Forbort after turning sharply below the goal line setting up Edmonton’s first power play.
On that advantage, he threaded a pass to Leon Draisaitl in tight, though Thatcher Demko turned it aside. Later, McDavid created another scoring look by cutting through the middle and finding David Tomasek in the slot off a broken play.
However, his best moment came during a tense six-on-four penalty kill on the night. With the Canucks pressing and the net empty, Connor McDavid corralled a loose puck in the defensive zone. Instead of simply clearing it under pressure, he held on and slid a controlled pass to Darnell Nurse, who left it for Leon Draisaitl. From there, Draisaitl took one stride past centre and fired a backhand into the open cage to seal the 3–1 final.
Knoblauch heaps praise on McDavid
Head Coach Kris Knoblauch called McDavid’s play a perfect example of skill and composure on the penalty kill.
“Good penalty killers are the ones who can make plays under pressure,” Knoblauch said. “You saw that with Connor, he slowed things down instead of just shoveling a puck out that might get blocked. He settled it and made a heck of a play.”
Knoblauch also noted that McDavid, Draisaitl, and their supporting group including Brett Kulak and Philip Kemp are in serious conversation for expanded penalty-killing duties as the season progresses. “They’re fast, strong ,and defensively reliable,” he said. “We have a lot of faith in them.”
After the game, Draisaitl echoed his coach’s appreciation for the team’s structure, particularly in how they closed it out.
“I thought it was a mature ending,” Draisaitl said. “We gave up one look there, but a great stick by Davo [McDavid]. Games like that, you’re getting all the chances, and suddenly it’s 2–2 and you end up losing. So it’s good to finish strong.”
Draisaitl on sharing penalty killing duties with McDavid
On the power play, Draisaitl admitted the Oilers could have scored “two on every one we had” but credited Demko for keeping Vancouver close. He also stressed the importance of the Oilers’ focus on a strong start to the season:
“You can build a lot of momentum and confidence if you start well,” he said. “We just want to give ourselves a better chance this year, and I think we’ll be good enough.”
When asked about their expanded penalty-kill roles, Draisaitl smiled:
“Both of us want to be out there as much as possible, maybe sometimes too much,” he joked. “But we enjoy that part of the game too. There are different ways to win hockey games, and if we can contribute there, we love doing it.”
The Oilers’ penalty kill has been a work in progress. Last season, it finished 16th in the NHL at 78.2%, but its collapse in the playoffs was glaring, falling to 67.1%, ranking 14th out of 16 postseason teams ahead of only Ottawa and Los Angeles. That slide cost Edmonton in key moments and became one of the offseason’s focal points.
Knoblauch has since prioritized tightening those details even experimenting with using his top offensive weapons in late-game defensive situations. Against Vancouver at least, the decision seems to have paid off.
Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire
