Dominik Kahun scored two goals on Tuesday as the visiting Edmonton Oilers beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-3.
Vancouver (8-13-2) took a 3-0 lead late in the first half thanks to goals from Bo Horvat, Tyler Myers and Elias Pettersson.
Kahun sparked the comeback for Edmonton (13-8-0) with goals late in the first and early in the third. Connor McDavid buried a power play record to tie the game and Tyler Ennis scored to seal the win. Leon Draisaitl registered three assists. Edmonton’s Mike Smith had 30 saves while Thatcher Demko stopped 25 of 29 shots for Vancouver (8-13-2).
The win extends Edmonton’s winning streak to four games. It was another disappointing result for the Canucks, who have only taken two wins in their last 12 games.
Ennis broke a 3-3 deadlock at 1:25 pm in the third period. He was stationed at the side of the net, picked up a puck that ricocheted off his shin and tipped it in behind Demko.
McDavid tied the score to third with a power play result of 4:23.
Vancouver defender Alex Edler had been sent into the pits nine seconds earlier for stumbling. When Demko paused to pause, McDavid was quick to capitalize and threw a shot over the spread net reducer from the side of the net.
Edmonton had reduced Vancouver’s lead to a single goal in less than a minute when Kahun’s shot sailed from the face point over Demko’s glove. It was the Czech striker’s second goal of the night and the fourth of the season.
After a slow start to the game, the Oilers almost lost the Canucks lead in the second frame. Draisaitl unleashed an explosion that put Demko to the test in four minutes. The goalkeeper hugged his post tightly to make sure a faulty puck did not slip through and not wear off until the whistle sounded.
Towards the end of the frame, McDavid shot a shot off the crossbar. The game lasted a few moments before the officials decided to check the game to see if the puck had actually gone into the Vancouver net before popping out again. A video review confirmed that there was no target.
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Vancouver only started the race on Tuesday at 1:06 a.m. Horvat sprinted over the boards and shot an acute angle near the goal line. The puck slid into the net under Smith’s pads, which obviously made the goalkeeper incredulous.
Seven minutes later, Myers extended Vancouver’s lead with a shot from the top of the target circle. His shot hit the stick of Edmonton’s Tyler Ennis and sailed over Smith’s shoulder to give the Canucks a 2-0 lead. A fight in front of the Oilers net ended with another goal in Vancouver in the middle of the first half. Canord’s defenseman Jordie Benn sent the puck to the front of the net and through a lot of sticks Miller was able to deflect it back to Pettersson at the top of the crease. The Swedish center fell on the ice and shot past Smith with its backhand.
It was Vancouver’s third goal on the ninth shot of the night.
Edmonton replied just before the first break. Kahun got a shot from below in the target circle and Demko seemed to make the stop. But the Canucks Netminder couldn’t hold on to the puck that was dripping into the net under his arm.
The Oilers and Canucks will face each other again on Thursday in Vancouver.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, the Canadian press
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