For the first time in six years, the Vancouver Canucks dropped their season opener, falling 3-2 to the Pacific Division rival Edmonton Oilers.
Even though the Canucks outshot the home team 33-22, there were a handful of mistakes and missed opportunities that decided the game. Brandon Sutter‘s giveaway that led to Connor McDavid‘s slick game-winning goal led to plenty of backlash on Twitter, but the former cannot take all the blame for the loss.
Vancouver went 0-for-4 on the power play, and they just weren’t able to solve Oilers goalie Mike Smith — who deserves plenty of credit after stealing a big victory for his new team.