Can you believe that these were two teams involved in a 9-7 game last month? Players were burning the midnight oil as the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Vancouver Canucks, 4-2. It was a good performance for about 40 minutes for the Canucks, but Edmonton activated their killer instinct in the final frame. The Canucks have only won three of 19 games and are on pace for just 31 points this year. Only 65 games left in a long season, as the franchise record for the worst start keeps getting set with every loss.

Game Stories: Late Start, Questionable Lineup Decisions, Willander Out Again

With British Columbia and Alberta opting not to turn back clocks one hour this year, both the Canucks and Edmonton will often get late puck drops. The puck did not drop at Rogers Place until 9:13 p.m. in Edmonton tonight. Luckily, seeing Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl blaze up the ice is more than enough to keep fans from yawning, even as we got deep into the night.

This is the first time Head Coach Manny Malhotra has made some head-scratching lineup decisions. Jacob Quillan, who won a key board battle that led to the second Canucks goal against the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday, was a healthy scratch tonight. Arshdeep Bains, who had been a healthy scratch for the last three games, slotted in on the first line alongside Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser. Luke Schenn played tonight in place of Victor Mancini. This was just the second game in the last six for Schenn, as he has been healthy-scratched more often than not. Zeev Buium also moved back to the top pairing alongside Filip Hronek, which was the pairing to start the season.

Tom Willander missed a third straight game with his lower-body injury. We have not gotten clarity on his timeline as of yet, but missing one of the most reliable defenders on an already inept hockey team is not a recipe for success. On Edmonton’s side, Zach Hyman and Devon Levi returned tonight from injury.

A Dominant First Period For Edmonton

The first few minutes contained some composed hockey by both teams. The scoring would begin at 9:14 as Mattias Ekholm scored on a one-timer from Connor McDavid. That is McDavid’s 18th straight game with an assist, tying Adam Oates for the longest assist streak of all time.

Zeev Buium was a bit too aggressive, while Hronek was tangled up in the net-front battle, leaving the slot open for the seam pass. If there is something that the Canucks need to work on urgently, it is getting sticks in the slot area, because right now, it is wide open for business.

Edmonton dominated most of the play in the first, outshooting the Canucks 11-1 through the first 19 minutes of the first period. The Canucks showed that having momentum for just one minute could pay off, as they tied the game with eight seconds left in the period. Max Sasson deflected the puck in from a shot by Jamie Oleksiak. Guillaume Brisebois also got his first point of the season on that play. The shots ended up being 12-4 for Edmonton after the first.

These Two Teams Can Play Defense?

It was a fast-moving second period, as both teams were playing more conservatively, with a lot of dump-ins and safe clears. For the Canucks, that was good news, as they were not getting hemmed in within their own zone. It was the most structured the Canucks have ever been this season. If they could play like this more consistently, the coaching staff should be a lot more content with the fact that the systems are rubbing off on the players.

No scoring in the middle frame, as it remained 1-1 after two periods.

Edmonton With the Killer Instinct in the Third Period

Former Canuck Jason Dickinson broke the deadlock 49 seconds into the third period, as Dickinson got a few attempts on net, with the third being the charm. Buium needed to use his body there to tie up the man in front. More lessons for the young defender.

Arshdeep Bains took a penalty as he was outmuscled by Mattias Ekholm, forcing him to take a holding call. On the ensuing power play, Edmonton extended the lead to 3-1, as Leon Draisaitl scored from his kitchen. Yet another cross-seam pass given up by the Canucks.

As the Canucks pulled the goalie with 4:05 left, Devon Levi made some huge saves, but with 2:35 left, a blast by Filip Hronek was deflected in by Brock Boeser to cut the lead to 3-2.

A brutal call by the linesman, calling an icing call when Elias Pettersson had tipped it in from centre, led to an empty-net goal for Draisaitl to seal the deal. That is as frustrating as it could get for a Canucks team already starved for results.

That would be all she wrote as the final score read 4-2 Edmonton. A much better effort by the Canucks compared to last game, and they did all they could against Edmonton’s star players. Leevi Meriläinen also kept the Canucks in it for as long as he could, stopping 26 of 29 in the loss.

Stats & Game Flow

The first graph from NaturalStatTrick.com is the shot attempt advantage. The second is the expected goals advantage. To no one’s surprise, Edmonton had the more quality looks throughout the game. The second period was by far the Canucks’ best period, and they will need more periods like that going forward. According to MoneyPuck, the expected goals were 3.10-2.04 in favor of Edmonton.

Looking Ahead to the Next Game

The Canucks will face off against former Head Coach Rick Tocchet and the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday at 7:30 p.m. Pacific Time (PCT). You can catch that game on Sportsnet.