The Canucks won the second-half of their back-to-back this weekend with a 4-3 overtime win against the Oilers.

In a year where all that matters is winning the Stanley Cup, does the start to the season really matter to the Oilers?

The Edmonton Oilers earned a single point in a comeback effort against the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday, Vancouver without Quinn Hughes.

The Edmonton Oilers have worked hard to become a defensively tougher squad over the last couple of seasons. Their efforts have yet to translate to a Stanley Cup, as they fell to the Florida Panthers two years in a row,

Through the first seven games of this NHL season, the Edmonton Oilers averaged 1.55 goals per 60 during five-on-five play. After seven games in 2024-25, Edmonton’s five-on-five goals per 60 of 1.57 was also near the bottom of the league. The club recovered from there; in the final 75 games, it posted 2.56 goals per 60.

The Edmonton Oilers were hoping to prove Sunday that they are just a little bit better than the injury-depleted Vancouver Canucks. With the Canucks on a three-game losing streak and missing their best player, it was a life preserver the floundering Oilers needed desperately.

Evan Bouchard and Darnell Nurse scored for Edmonton. But captain Connor McDavid’s performance against Seattle was quiet. In over 24 minutes of ice time, he had no points or shots and finished minus-one. This is concerning for the Oilers’ offense.

The Vancouver Canucks will be missing a key part of their lineup when they take on the Edmonton Oilers. According to Head Coach Adam Foote, Quinn Hughes will not be in the lineup on Sunday night due to a "day-to-day" lower-body injury. In his place will be Victor Mancini, who was called up from the AHL earlier this week.