The Edmonton Oilers earned a point Tuesday to start the 2026-27 NHL season, but head coach Mike Babcock had little interest in celebrating his team’s comeback after a 6-5 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks.
Edmonton trailed 5-2 in the third period before scoring three unanswered goals to force overtime, but Paul Cotter ended the game 1:59 into the extra period.
Babcock criticized the Oilers’ execution after a strong start that led to a 2-2 score after two periods.
“I thought we started good, and then we didn’t do things right,” Babcock said. “We turned the puck over, we stayed out too long on the ice, we made poor decisions… If we want to play like that, we’re going to be chasing the game.”
Babcock rejected the idea that Edmonton could accept those mistakes on opening night, even though the team has a new head coach and was forced into late lineup changes.
“I don’t think I thought for one second that it was going to be easy, but tonight was an indication we have serious work to do,” Babcock said. “Playing like that and getting away from what we’re supposed to do is unacceptable for us, so we gotta set a better standard for ourselves.”
Goaltender Tristan Jarry allowed six goals on 23 shots. Babcock acknowledged Jarry needed to be better but blamed the team for its overall performance.
Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
“That was pretty clear, everybody knows that (Jarry needs to be better),” Babcock said. “We might as well move on. Our part is to play way better. That was ridiculous.”
Evan Bouchard scored three goals and recorded five points for the Oilers, prompting Babcock to say a team shouldn’t lose when a player produces five points.
The Oilers will get an immediate opportunity to respond as they will visit the Canucks on Thursday at 10 p.m. ET.
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