from Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet,

The Vancouver Canucks will need a new mantra. They can’t say that it’s “only one game” because now it’s two.

The team got 37 saves from Casey DeSmith in the backup goalie’s first start for the Canucks, and fellow newcomer Sam Lafferty used his speed and power to score an impressive third-period winner as Vancouver beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 Saturday in Alberta to sweep the teams’ season-opening two-game series.

And honestly, even though the Oilers outshot the Canucks 40-16, Saturday’s game was at least as surprising as Wednesday’s 8-1 blowout as Vancouver recovered from an early deficit and stared down Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, on the road, for a second straight game.

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from Mark Spector of Spotsnet,

You can beat up the Edmonton Oilers all you want for an 0-2 start that nobody saw coming.

Despite the fact they allowed just 16 shots on goal Saturday (33 shot attempts in total), or that Casey DeSmith faced 40 shots on net, and another 48 that were blocked or sent wide.

Let’s face it: If Edmonton hadn’t been a no show in their 8-1 opening night loss in Vancouver, this effort would pass by without notice.

Or, as Zach Hyman said, “If you lose two games in the middle of the season it is not the end of the world. You lose two games here and you get all these questions about your defensive game.

“It is not ideal, obviously, to lose the first two games,” he concluded. “But there is no panic.”

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Watch the game highlights below.