Oilers Hold Off Canucks 4-3, Frederic Makes Strong Case On Top Line

In the final home preseason game for the Edmonton Oilers, the Vancouver Canucks iced an inexperienced lineup, with Drew O’Connor centering Filip Chytil and Conor Garland on the top line. The Oilers, meanwhile, went with their stars. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl skated alongside Trent Frederic on the top line at Saturday’s practice, and that trio carried into Sunday’s game.

On defense, the Oilers shuffled their pairings. Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard formed the top duo, while Cam Dineen and Ty Emberson played together on the second pair. Young standout Atro Leppanen was paired with Alec Regula on the third. Stuart Skinner got the start in goal, with Matt Tomkins serving as backup.

Here are the game results and key takeaways from the Oilers

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First Period - Oilers Take An Early Lead

The Oilers wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. Just 1:28 in, McDavid set up Draisaitl, who was stopped by Thatcher Demko, but McDavid corralled the rebound behind the net and tucked it in to make it 1–0. Frederic picked up the secondary assist. This was a much better start for this line, which had not scored in a game against the Seattle Kraken a few days earlier. 

Bouchard had a shaky shift midway through the period, including a giveaway in front of his own net. Several times he failed to make a strong outlet pass, which led to dangerous pressure against.

Around the 11:50 mark, Leppänen showed off some skill with a slick toe drag—another sign that he's quickly figuring out the pace of play in the NHL. Leppänen led his league last year in points, so his offense is no longer surprising analysts who have now watched him play in camp. He also showcased his defensive prowess, making another strong play with his stick during a 4-on-4 situation.

He's making a strong case that the Oilers need to keep him around. 

Later, Frederic scored from in front, finishing a play set up by McDavid and Draisaitl to extend the lead.

Ike Howard nearly added to the total at 17:27, creating chaos in front of Demko, but couldn’t quite bury it. Soon after, Bouchard went off for tripping at 18:03. Five seconds later, Chytil evened things up with a tripping call of his own, setting up 4-on-4 action. Skinner came up big in the final minute with a key save.

The Oilers outshot the Canucks 12–6 in the opening frame.

Second Period: Oilers Add to Their Lead, Top Line Keeps Buzzing

The Oilers’ top line opened the frame with strong possession, generating a couple of dangerous looks that didn’t register as shots on goal. Edmonton was called for too many men at 2:11, with Noah Philp serving the penalty.

The Canucks nearly capitalized when a shot rang off the crossbar at 4:11. A couple of minutes later, chaos in front of the Oilers’ net led Vancouver to believe they’d scored at 6:03. After a brief conference, officials ruled no goal due to goaltender interference, as Derek Forbort pushed into Skinner. The score stayed 2–0 Oilers.

Midway through the period, the McDavid–Draisaitl–Frederic line once again tilted the ice, pinning Vancouver in their own zone and creating multiple dangerous chances off turnovers. Skinner also looked increasingly sharp as the game wore on, making several steady saves.

Edmonton’s top line applied more pressure, but momentum briefly shifted when the Oilers’ fourth line got trapped against Vancouver’s top unit. That stretch ended when Kirill Kudryavtsev took a tripping penalty, giving Edmonton a power play.

The Oilers wasted no time making quick work of it. Off the faceoff, McDavid won the draw to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who passed it over to Bouchard. He moved it across to Draisaitl, who blasted a one-timer past Demko at 16:57 to make it 3–0. 

Continuing to have their way with the Canucks, the top line stayed on the ice and McDavid nearly struck again moments later.

Skinner capped the period with a sharp save at the buzzer.

Through two periods, Edmonton led 3–0 and held an 18–16 edge in shots.

Third Period: Canucks Push but Oilers 

The Oilers’ top line opened the period with more pressure, but Vancouver responded with a push of their own. At 3:57, Aatu Raty put the Canucks on the board with a well-placed shot through a screen set by Filip Chytil, beating Skinner to make it 3–1.

The Canucks kept pressing and were rewarded again at 14:46 when Braeden Cootes banked a shot in off Mattias Ekholm, cutting Edmonton’s lead to 3–2.

Shortly after, Samanski nearly tied the game, but Demko came up with a huge save to keep the Oilers ahead. Edmonton countered by sending their top line back out to regain control, and they delivered.

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On a clean breakout started by Trent Frederic’s work along the boards in the defensive zone, McDavid and Draisaitl broke free on a 2-on-1. McDavid feathered a slick backhand pass across, and Draisaitl buried it to restore a two-goal cushion at 4–2.

The Canucks pulled their goalie with several minutes remaining the final frame to give themselves a chance. They scored one to bring the game a little closer. 4-3 off the stick of Jonathan Lekkerimäki.

Ultimately, it wasn't enough. Even though the Oilers were unable to score on the open net, they successfully killed the clock to take the game by a final score of 4-3. 

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