McDavid scores three points, Edmonton Oilers beat listless Vancouver Canucks 7-3 – Edmonton

Connor McDavid scored and added a pair of assists as the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Vancouver Canucks 7-3 on Saturday.

“It was definitely a step in the right direction,” McDavid said after the game. “Not an easy building to win in. A team that we obviously have a lot of history with and it's a great win. Hopefully this is something we can build on.”

Connor Brown added two goals, and Leon Draisaitl and Brett Kulak each added a goal and a helper for the Oilers (7-7-1).

“It was a very close game, that first period,” Brown said. “There was no room out there. We controlled and did our thing and bowed out a little bit in the second, but I'm really proud of the way this group handled the third period. We went there with confidence and got the job done.”

Corey Perry and Victor Arvidsson also found the back of the net and Mattias Janmark provided three assists.

Stuart Skinner stopped 17 of the 20 shots he faced in front of a crowd that cheered and booed the Edmonton goalkeeper.

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“We can be happy that we scored seven goals and you think everything went very well; we won by four, we must have dominated,” Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said. “I don't see it that way. Tonight we are able to perform around the net and score some goals. It feels good, but I'm not sure it was our best.”

The Canucks (7-3-3) got a goal and an assist from Elias Pettersson, while Filip Hronek and Pius Suter also scored as Vancouver's three-game winning streak came to an abrupt halt.

Kevin Lankinen made 20 saves before being replaced by Arturs Silovs midway through the third period. The Latvian goalkeeper stopped all four shots he faced in relief.

The Canucks played without star sniper Brock Boeser, who is recovering from an upper-body injury after being hit in the head by Tanner Jeannot of the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday.

TAKEAWAY

Canucks: Starts remain an issue for Vancouver. The team has conceded its first goal in seven consecutive games, conceding all of them in the first eight minutes of the game. The Canucks have rallied for comeback victories in most of those outings, going 4-2-1 down the stretch.

Oilers: The lackluster power play saw signs of life. With Hronek in the box for holding, McDavid tapped in a backdoor shot to push Edmonton's lead to 5-2 midway through the third period. The Oilers entered the night with the 26th-ranked power play in the league (14.3 percent).

KEY MOMENT

Edmonton broke the game open 6:10 into the third when former Oilers defenseman Vincent Desharnais couldn't clear a puck from in front of Vancouver's net. Brown picked it up and sent it up and over Lankinen for his first goal of the match.

KEY STAT

McDavid now has 67 points (24 goals, 43 assists) in 41 career games against the Canucks – the most points he has against any NHL team.

NEXT

Canucks: Continue a six-game homestand on Tuesday when they entertain the Calgary Flames.

Oilers: Host the New York Islanders on Tuesday.

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