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The Vancouver Canucks silenced the away crowd at Rogers Arena with a commanding 8-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night.
The Oilers' defense, which has been a major issue for them in recent years, was once again called into question in the first game of the season, as they failed to keep the Canucks at bay not once but eight times.
Fans would not have anticipated the Oilers' first game to pan out this way, and it must have alarmed Jay Woodcroft going forward into the season.
The Vancouver Canucks were strong on defense, preventing the pairing of last season's top scorers, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, from having any major impact on the game. Meanwhile, Brock Boeser stepped up as the MVP of the game, scoring four out of eight goals for the Canucks in the contest.
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The Edmonton Oilers fans were furious by their team's disappointing showing in their season opener and took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to share their thoughts on the defeat, with many criticizing McDavid.
One fan reacting to the defeat tweeted:
"McFraud exposed."
Here are some of the best reactions on X:
Edmonton Oilers vs. Vancouver Canucks highlights
Connor Gerland put the Canucks on the board with a beautiful tap-in goal off a bouncing puck assist from Elias Petterson at the 8:06 mark. Three minutes later, Brock Boeser made it 2-0.
Coming into the second period, Boeser completed his hattrick at the 7:30 mark to make it 4-0 for the Canucks. Meanwhile, Leon Draisaitl was the lone goal scorer for the Oilers in the game. Elias Petterson's goal at the halfway mark put the Oilers four goals behind in the game.
In the third period, Boeser scored his fourth to make it 6-1, and goals from J.T. Miller and Dakota Joshua ensured a thumping 8-1 on-road victory for the Vancouver Canucks over the Oilers.
Stuart Skinner and Jack Campbell conceded four goals apiece and ended the contest by posting a.765 and a.750 SV%, respectively. Meanwhile, Thatcher Demko made 21 saves with a.955 SV% for the Canucks.
The Edmonton Oilers will look for an avenge when they face the Vancouver Canucks for the second time on Saturday, October 14. The puck drops at 10 p.m. ET.
