Oilers vs Canucks: Prediction, Team News and the Rematch in Vancouver

Oilers vs Canucks, again, 48 hours later and 1,150 kilometres west. Vancouver won the first leg 6-5 in overtime at Rogers Place on Monday, which nobody had on their card, and the two meet again at Rogers Arena on Thursday.

It is the same fixture with a very different feel. Vancouver have two points. Edmonton have one. Here is the team news, the form and where this Oilers vs Canucks rematch might actually be decided.

Oilers vs Canucks odds

The Canadian books had not posted a price for this game when we checked on 30 September. The feed prices the next few days and catches up as games approach, so we will add the board here once it lands. Live prices across the league are on our NHL odds page.

For reference, Edmonton were around -303 to win the first leg and Vancouver around +215. Expect the gap to narrow after Monday, though not by as much as one result might suggest.

What happened on Monday

Vancouver won it in overtime, having led 5-2 in the third and very nearly thrown it away.

Evan Bouchard scored a hat-trick and lost. He added two assists for a five-point night, which is the kind of line that usually wins a game on its own. Edmonton outshot Vancouver by fourteen and took a point.

Paul Cotter scored twice for Vancouver, shorthanded in the first and the winner at 1:59 of overtime. Marco Rossi, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Max Sasson and Elias Pettersson got the others. Our full report is on the first-leg page.

Edmonton have five out, and one of them matters a lot

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is the significant one. Fifty-six points last season. Edmonton’s third centre behind McDavid and Draisaitl. Without him the middle of the ice thins out fast, and Colton Dach and Owen Michaels are the ones being asked to fill it, which is a lot to hand two young forwards on the second night of a road trip against a team that has just beaten you.

Matt Savoie is out until late November after an offseason training injury that cost him the whole of camp. He played all 82 games last season and put up 37 points.

The goaltending is the awkward one. Edmonton signed Frederik Andersen in July on a one-year deal specifically to compete for starts. He is on injured reserve with a knee problem and is not expected back until around the end of December, which leaves Tristan Jarry and Devon Levi. Jarry conceded six on 23 shots on Monday.

Vancouver’s crease is thinner than it looks

Vancouver won. Their goaltending situation is still the worse of the two, which is the odd thing about this Oilers vs Canucks matchup.

Thatcher Demko is on injured reserve until around 21 December. He had hip surgery in January and missed the second half of last season; the club has not put a firm date on his return beyond that. Kevin Lankinen, who went 11-27-5 with a .875 save percentage last season, starts by default.

The one move worth noting: Vancouver claimed Leevi Meriläinen off waivers from Ottawa on 25 September. He went 8-10-1 in 20 appearances for the Senators last season and is now the competition for starts rather than an emergency option. Filip Chytil is also on injured reserve with a shoulder problem until around 8 October.

Last season said the opposite

Monday was a shock precisely because this fixture had not been close.

Edmonton took the series 3-1. They won the last two by a combined 12-1, including a shutout in Vancouver. And both recent Vancouver wins in this fixture, Monday included, came in overtime.

Players to watch

Evan Bouchard. Five points on Monday and nothing to show for it. He put up 95 from the blue line last season and is Edmonton’s power play.

Connor McDavid. Two assists on Monday, no goal. 138 points last season. With Nugent-Hopkins out he will carry more.

Paul Cotter. Two goals including the overtime winner, from a fourth-line role. That is not repeatable, but it is why Vancouver won.

Kevin Lankinen. Conceded five on 37 and won. If Edmonton generate that volume again at Rogers Arena, he will need a better night than Monday’s to survive it.

Oilers vs Canucks prediction

The first leg was not a fluke exactly, but it was not a form line either. Edmonton generated 37 shots and lost to 23. Over a season that ratio wins far more than it loses.

Against that, Edmonton are missing their third centre, a 37-point winger and the goaltender they signed to fix the crease, and they are on the road on the second night of a short trip. Vancouver are at home with a full building and a result to build on.

Our lean: Edmonton, but not on the puck line, and the over looks the better side of the total again. Eleven goals on Monday. Two thin goaltending groups. Neither defence has looked settled. We will firm up the Oilers vs Canucks call when the board is posted.

Where these two sit against the other 30 is on our NHL power rankings, and availability across the league is tracked on our NHL injury report.

19+ (18+ in AB, MB and QC). Odds are approximate at the time of writing and change constantly. Availability varies by province. Please play responsibly. ConnexOntario: 1-866-531-2600 for Ontario residents; see your province’s helpline for resources elsewhere.