Optimism met by immediate crashing doubt, cursing replaced with cheering, then cursing again, a resting heartbeat sent racing for the first time in months — the Edmonton Oilers and their specific brand of emotional manipulation were back in full force in Tuesday’s home opener. 

Six goals allowed on just eight high-danger chances against in a little over 60 minutes? It was good the fans were wearing their orange vests, as Rogers Place returned to an active construction site.

“It’s the first game, but you have to learn, you have to grow from every experience, and I think that’s something that we’ll do today,” said Tristan Jarry afterward. 

Nowhere but up, but to paraphrase coach Mike Babcock post-game, there’s some serious work to do. Every game won’t be against the Canucks.  

Maybe it’s better this way, so the Oilers aren’t lulled into some false sense of security where they defeat Vancouver and pretend everything is fine. Maybe it’s the all-too-common Slow Start. Maybe this, maybe that. 

The truth is Tuesday’s game could’ve been cut and pasted into the last several seasons for the Oilers with the dig-hole, dig-out-of-hole third period, but there are new wrinkles to begin 2026-27. 

The Oilers certainly want to play aggressively to match Babcock’s “no such thing as overaggressive” mantra, particularly on the penalty kill, which left Mattias Ekholm to fend alone in front of the net on the Elias Pettersson slot redirect 5-2 goal.

But that game can be the reason you worry about such an overaggressive style, especially with a good pro like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins added to the infirmary the day of the game, Colton Dach playing a new-ish position at centre, Alex Formenton playing his first NHL game in over four years on Connor McDavid’s wing, and Owen Michaels playing his first professional game of any kind.It’s easy to say that Tristan Jarry was the reason the Oilers lost — and it would be misleading to suggest he played well, or nearly good enough, particularly on the 3-2 iceburner, five-hole goal against — but evaluating the skaters in front of him, there’s a lot of learning to do.“You could tell it was our first regular-season game,” said Evan Bouchard, who was in mid-season form with his hat-trick and five-point outing. “We’ve got to be a lot more detailed than that… Giving up odd-man rushes, giving up five, six, isn’t going to cut it.”

The Oilers should’ve won, but also did well to salvage a loser point late. As the team travelled to Vancouver on Wednesday, I’m sure Babcock-Smith-McFarland have cut many clips to highlight structure and positioning.

No time to dwell. Time to work.

Canucks return home undefeated

Meanwhile, jubilation for the visitors and some early mojo for a Vancouver team that opened the book on the Sedin-Johnson-Malhotra era in style.

“There were a lot of momentum swings, energy swings on the bench,” said Malhotra after his first NHL win. “Just the overall pace of the game, I was trying to make sure I was keeping an eye on who was on the ice when they were on the ice. There was a lot of moving parts, but it was definitely a fun one to coach.”

Reading DFO Vancouver, fans have no illusions. They know they’re limited, that it’s all about the future, and they’re just hoping for fun along the way. Once upon a time in Oil Country, we called that HOPE. 

Nobody really expected it from Paul Cotter, though. 

He signed a one-year contract this off-season worth $2.15 million on the premise that he’ll play in more important moments. For example, he was on the Stanley Cup-winning Vegas Golden Knights in 2023, but didn’t play any playoff games. A first-goal shorthanded, last-goal in a three-on-three overtime combination is a great way to start there. 

“He had limited minutes and their line jumped a couple shifts and didn’t get too much ice in the third,” said Malhotra. “But his ability to stay composed and stay ready on the bench speaks a lot about his character.”

The Canucks never trailed, and it could’ve easily felt like a gut punch to blow a three-goal lead if overtime didn’t go their way. But it didn’t, and they began 1-0, something the Oilers haven’t done since 2022-23. 

“That’s the key to good teams, you can’t get too high or too low,” said another newcomer, Jamie Oleksiak. “You want to stay consistent. You want to stay levelheaded. We’ll enjoy this one tonight and look forward to our next match.”

Find the right combinations

You can’t deny the chemistry between Leon Draisaitl, Vasily Podkolzin, and Kasperi Kapanen, who didn’t skate together on a line at all in training camp, then were reunited at the final hour once the Nuge injury shook up the line combinations. 

Much like the Oilers’ brief playoff run, they were the team’s most dominant line by far, outshooting the opposition 14-2, according to Natural Stat Trick. 

Vasily Podkolzin had two goals and could’ve had even more on his seven shots. Last game was just his third multi-goal performance of his young career, and if he keeps getting looks like that, he’s going to score a lot this season. He earned the power play spot in Nuge’s place and scored the all-important tying goal, but the goal allowed on the PP reminds you of his absence. 

For the other lines, you have to wonder whether Alex Formenton will remain on McDavid’s wing, or whether Ike Howard will get elevated to have more skill with skill. However, Formenton’s drive along the wall allowed him to earn an assist on the 2-2 tying goal. Vancouver primarily employed the O’Connor-Sasson-Karlsson line against him and didn’t suffer, despite McDavid owning the faceoff circle 12-4. 

Trent Frederic was throwing his weight around on that fourth line with Michaels and Howard, but the combination seems wonky. 

Does Ty Emberson draw into the lineup, or does Shakir Mukhamadullin remain in? Mukhamadullin was okay in his Oilers debut, playing the fewest minutes on the backend with 13:03 time on ice. It’s also worth keeping an eye on Jake Walman and Connor Murphy, who were the defensive pair who struggled the most and looked sluggish at times.

Otherwise, there was already speculation Devon Levi would get this start, and at this point it would be a shock if he doesn’t get the nod. Notes:This would be Devon Levi’s 40th NHL appearance if he does start. He has a career record of 17-17-2 with a 3.29 goals against average and an .894 save percentage. Every Canucks forward except Arshdeep Bains and Brendan Gallagher registered a point, while only four Oilers forwards did, despite scoring five goals. Not that Elias Pettersson has ever been a routine power-play goalscorer — his career-high 39-goal season he had just six on the PP — but he had even fewer with four last season. Scoring on the PP would be a welcome addition to his game this year if he can build off his tip goal from Tuesday. Malhotra became just the fourth person to represent the Canucks as both a player and head coach, joining Marc Crawford, Pat Quinn, and Orland Kurtenbach. Last season, McDavid had the highest average TOI in the league among forwards by a healthy margin with 22:59 minutes. In game one with Babcock, he had 22:51. Playing in his 796th game tonight, McDavid will take sole possession of ninth in games played in franchise history, surpassing Kelly Buchberger.  EDM outhit VAN a staggering 38-13, with Joseph, Formenton, Jones, and Podkolzin scoring five each.You may have heard the stat by now, but it’s worth mentioning again the rare air Evan Bouchard reached. It’s the first time in NHL history a defenceman has recorded five points in a season opener, and not only was he the first defenceman since Mark Howe in 1980 to score an opening night hat-trick, but it was also just the third time that’s happened in NHL history.(Interestingly, the only other hat-trick was scored by Bert Corbeau, who did it with the Montreal Canadiens back on Christmas Day in 1919. He would later become the first Toronto Maple Leafs captain. His nickname was “pig iron,” and he once had a frozen turnip thrown at him on the ice.  For those wondering, that is a new Oilers goal song you heard, and it was made specifically for the Oilers. It’s called Striking Oil by local band Royal Tusk. You can’t stream it anywhere yet, but there’s more info about it here.The Oilers are 3-1-1 in their last visits to VAN. Michael Menzies is an Oilersnation columnist and co-host of PreGaming and Oilersnation After Dark. He’s also been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. With seven years of news experience as the Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, Menzies collects vinyl, books, and stomach issues. Follow him on X at Menzies_4. PRESENTED BY SOUTHVIEW ACURAAt Southview Acura, luxury isn’t just what you drive, it’s how you’re treated. Family-owned and operated, we’re proud to offer an exceptional selection of new and certified pre-owned Acuras, backed by a service experience built on trust and precision. Whether it’s your first visit or your next, our team is committed to excellence every step of the way. Visit Southview Acura today or online at www.SouthviewAcura.com, where luxury meets reality.