Connor McDavid achieved the first hat trick of the 2022-23 NHL season as the Edmonton Oilers edged the Vancouver Canucks 5-3 Wednesday night at Rogers Place.
The Canucks came out swinging in the first period, taking a surprise 2-0 lead in the first 3 minutes of the opening 20 minutes. Elias Pettersson at 1:49 and J.T. Miller at 2:40 provided the first 2 pucks in the cage for the Canucks. Vancouver would hold that lead heading into the 2nd period.
Vancouver would extend things to a 3-0 lead just 39 seconds into the 2nd period courtesy of Andrei Kuzmenko on the power play. However, it would be the last goal past new Oilers netminder Jack "Soup" Campbell as Edmonton would score 3 unanswered goals to tie the game by the end of the period, first by Leon Draisaitl at 4:12, McDavid's first of the night at 14:01, also on the man advantage, and a short-handed tally by Darnell Nurse at 19:19. In the 3rd period, it was all McDavid, as he completed his hat trick first with his 2nd of the night at 15:01 and his 3rd at the 19:35 mark on an empty Canucks net.
The Canucks outshot Edmonton 36-25 and edged them in faceoff wins 37-34. The Oilers had 38 hits to Vancouver's 31 and had twice as many PIM as them, 16-8.
Next, Edmonton faces their provincial rivals the Calgary Flames late Saturday night at 10 PM ET. Meanwhile, Vancouver heads to the States and goes far, far east for a late afternoon tilt with the Philadelphia Flyers at 4 PM ET.
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