Bo Horvat scored twice as the Vancouver Canucks knocked off the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 Saturday night.
The game started well for the visiting Oilers with Kris Russell beating Jacob Markstrom short side just 1:08 in. Horvat replied for the Canucks on the power play at 7:35. He busted down the left wing and beat Cam Talbot with a shot under the crossbar. Brandon Sutter made it 2-1 Vancouver just 1:54 later, cashing in off an Oilers turnover.
Horvat scored again 32 seconds into the second frame when his sharp angle shot squirted in the short side off Talbot’s pad. Talbot was replaced in goal by Laurent Brossoit after allowing three goals on seven shots.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins struck on the power play with 11:51 left in the third, cashing in a behind-the-back pass from Patrick Maroon. The Oilers applied late pressure but couldn’t net the tying goal.
Brossoit finished with 19 saves. Markstrom made 33 stops.
Despite their one power play goal, forward Milan Lucic said at the end of the day the power play was lacking.
“Last game we weren’t able to get anything going on two power play opportunities. I know we got a goal here tonight, but we had another chance to tie the game up and it just wasn’t enough,” Lucic said. “Especially the first unit, there wasn’t enough volume as far as out power play unit goes.”
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were both held pointless in the game.
Head Coach Todd McLellan said it was a hard fall for McDavid and Draisaitl after such a successful season-opener at home.
“Through the first game, they were tremendous,” McLellan said. “But tonight, I didn’t think they got a lot done. A lot of their play was east/west at the blue line instead of straight attack at the net. When they got desperate at the back end of (the game) they were much better.”
The Oilers finished the game 1/5 on the power play.
The Oilers drop to 1-1 on the season. They’ll host Winnipeg Monday night.
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