Cotter’s OT winner caps two-goal night as Canucks outlast Oilers 6-5 to start season
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EDMONTON – Paul Cotter capped a two-goal night with the game winner 1:59 into overtime as the Vancouver Canucks got off to a strong start in defeating the Edmonton Oilers 6-5 on Tuesday night.
Marco Rossi, Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Max Sasson and Elias Pettersson also scored for the Canucks (1-0-0), who are coming off a last-place finish in the NHL last season with a paltry 25-49-8 record.
Kevin Lankinen made 32 stops to earn the win in the Canucks’ net.
Evan Bouchard had three goals and two assists and Vasily Podkolzin scored twice for the Oilers (0-0-1). Tristan Jarry made just 17 saves for Edmonton.
Prime Minister Mark Carney was in attendance for the Oilers’ home opener at Rogers Place.
Entering the third period tied 2-2, Pettersson capped a three-goal run by the Canucks 5:15 into the frame to swiftly put the Canucks ahead 5-2.
But Podkolzin scored at 8:56, followed by Bouchard’s third of the night 24 seconds later and Podkolzin’s second of the night with 43 seconds left in regulation to send it to extra time.
TAKEAWAYS
Canucks: Cotter, who joined Vancouver as a free agent after spending the last two seasons in New Jersey, became the first player in Canucks history to score a short-handed goal in his debut with the team.
Oilers: Bouchard became the first defenceman in Oilers history to record a multi-goal game in a season opener and just the third defenceman in NHL history to score a hat trick in a seasonal lid-lifter. He is also just the third blueliner in the last 30 years to have a four-point game to open the season.
KEY MOMENT
After the Oilers crawled back from a three-goal deficit to force overtime, Cotter scored 1:59 into extra time, lifting in a backhand.
KEY STAT
Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra became the fourth person to represent the Canucks as both a player and head coach in his career, following in the footsteps of Marc Crawford, Pat Quinn and Orland Kurtenbach.
UP NEXT
The two teams have a rematch in Vancouver on Thursday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 29, 2026.