3 Standouts From Game #2: Oilers 9, Canucks 7

Paul Cotter has been the Canucks' best forward, offensively speaking, since the start of the 2026–27 season. Following his two-goal performance on Tuesday, Cotter scored yet another goal in Thursday's 9–7 loss to the Oilers and also added an assist on a goal by Brock Boeser in his effort.

Cotter's strong play earned him a promotion onto Vancouver's second-line alongside Boeser and Liam Öhgren, with the trio playing a team-high 7:28 minutes together. Individually, Cotter also had five hits and recorded a faceoff win percentage of 64.3%.

Is Elias Pettersson back? That's the question everyone seems to be asking after the forward's performance on Thursday night following his three-point, eight-hit night. The most notable part of Pettersson's night was his slap shot on the power-play to give Vancouver their sixth goal of the game, with the play resembling a vintage shot by the forward. This was his 202nd-career goal, which gave him sole-possession of ninth all-time in Canucks history.