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Instant Reaction: Lekkerimäki scores twice to help Canucks defeat Oilers 3-2 in overtime
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Photo credit: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Cody Severtson
Oct 4, 2025, 00:49 EDTUpdated: Oct 4, 2025, 12:51 EDT
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Welcome back to Instant Reaction, the series here at CanucksArmy where we give you our instant reaction to tonight’s Vancouver Canucks game and ask our readers to do the same in the comments section below! 
Mercifully, the final preseason game came and went with the Vancouver Canucks rolling out a lineup that looked as close to “opening night” calibre as could be and two players put in noticeable efforts toward being a part of that group. Let’s get into it!

First Period

Three or so minutes elapsed without so much as a shot on target. Elias Pettersson (F) threw a hefty body check on Matthias Ekholm that dislodged the veteran defenceman’s stick, prompting a decent cycle opportunity for the home team. Edmonton’s Isaac Howard drew First Scrape when he launched a wrist shot into Thatcher Demko’s right shoulder. Tyler Myers responded a minute or so later with a howitzer off the blue line into Calvin Pickard’s chest off a breakout feed from Jonathan Lekkerimäki.
Lekkerimäki drove through the middle for a meaty snap-shot off Pickard’s shoulder a minute or so later that caught Pickard off guard.
The Oilers generated a handful of shifts inside the Canucks’ zone, culminating in a really slick sliding block from Elias Pettersson (D) to take away the one-timer pass on a sure goal.
The game’s back-and-forth action came to a screeching halt on a Kiefer Sherwood tripping penalty against Connor McDavid.
The Canucks PK group went to work without one of their premier penalty killers and held up! Adam Foote rolled out forward duos of Conor Garland with Teddy Blueger, followed by Pettersson (F) alongside Drew O’Connor. Upon the conclusion of Sherwood’s penalty, Garland dove to knock a puck up the ice to give Sherwood a breakaway opportunity out of the box. Unfortunately, Garland’s pass sailed just barely out of Sherwood’s reach, negating the chance.
The Canucks would conclude the period with a power play opportunity of their own, with Marcus Pettersson drawing a tripping penalty against Kasperi Kapanen.
The first power play unit looked a little lethargic and a little too predictable, cycling the puck around the perimeter without so much of a meaningful attempt on goal. Seconds after the penalty expired, Braeden Cootes fished out a loose puck from a swarm of bodies out to Lekkerimäki, who looked like prime rookie Elias Pettersson (F) rifling a one-timer blast over Pickard’s shoulder to make it 1-nothing.
1-0 Canucks
Some takeaways from the first:
-A rookie-heavy fivesome of Pettersson (D), Cootes, Kane, Lekkerimäki, and Tom Willander saw themselves pinned inside the d-zone against a veteran-heavy Oilers fivesome. Although they struggled to settle the puck and regain possession, it was noticeable how hard the young guns were battling to stick to a double-up of puck-carrier coverage. Under previous regimes, this line would have seen their minutes carved up due to their inability to break the puck out of the zone. Adam Foote didn’t care that they got hemmed. Clearly, their head coach appreciated the battle and commitment to their d-zone coverage scheme, because the young guns were rolled out for their next shift as if nothing had happened. After years of seeing players like Nikolai Goldobin scratched for missing a single D-to-D pass, I really liked this new head coach’s approach and trust in letting the process play itself out.
-Yes, preseason asterisk and all that, but Cootes and Lekkerimäki did a tremendous job in the first period to cement their place in the starting twelve. At times, this Canucks roster looks starved for offence. I don’t see them getting creativity or goals from anyone else. It feels like this team needs these two.
-Arshdeep Bains looked solid against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night; I forgot he was playing against Edmonton, a quiet first period for a player also trying to make their case to crack the starting lineup.

Second Period

The opening five minutes of the middle frame were very scrambly. A gratuitously long shift hemmed in the d-zone against the McDavid-Draisaitl line for Sherwood, O’Connor, Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, and Fil Hronek somehow concluded with an icing by Sherwood, a d-zone faceoff win, and an end-to-end breakout rush led by Hughes for an offensive zone cycle. You could only laugh at the audacity of Hughes to remain completely unfazed after being pinned in the d-zone for three minutes by the Oilers’ best five-man unit.
All told, Hughes spent 2:34 on the ice against the Oilers’ top group before gaining the zone and changing off. Hughes took a minute-and-change to rest on the bench, then went back out for his next shift.
With six minutes left in the frame, Kasperi Kapanen ripped a one-timer past Demko that evened the score at 1-all. 
It was a pretty bad look for the Garland, Bains, and Filip Chytil trio. After a run of chances, all three forwards were caught below the goal line, gifting the Oilers an easy-as-pie 4-on-2 rush against a woefully inexperienced duo of Pettersson (D) and Willander.
On his next shift, Willander got caught hanging his arm around Noah Philp for too long behind Demko’s net, giving Edmonton their second power play of the game. This time, the Oilers’ power play didn’t mess around. Evan Bouchard rifled a shot over a sprawling Blueger and off of Demko’s glove. Bouchard’s rebound deflected right onto the tape of Leon Draisaitl’s stick. Yadda, yadda, yadda: 2-1 Edmonton.
Making matters worse, Vasili Podkolzin sent Pettersson (D) to the room early, taking the rookie defenceman out with a hard hit behind the goal line.
Demko provided the only positive moment of the period for Vancouver, robbing Trent Frederic with a sprawling pad save.
Some takeaways from the second period:
-Yeesh.
-Elias Pettersson (F), Brock Boeser, and Jake DeBrusk played the most minutes against the McDavid-Draisaitl combo, getting outshot 2-to-1, which is fine. What was not fine was that trio generating absolutely nothing against the rest of the Oilers’ lineup on home ice. Yes, yes, it’s preseason. Still, the Canucks needed signs of life in the second period, and their first line generated <checks notes> just two shot attempts from Pettersson? Not great!

Third Period

After initially being MIA, Elias Pettersson (D) returned to the bench shortly after the start of the period.
Early into the frame, Demko showed off his absurd flexibility while taking away space from Andrew Mangiapane.
A dominant shift from Sherwood and O’Connor seemingly spun momentum back in Vancouver’s favour.
After making an incredible diving backcheck on Mangiapane, Pettersson (F) sprang up ice with DeBrusk for a rush chance, drawing a holding penalty against Matthias Ekholm to give Vancouver a second power play opportunity.
Forty-three seconds into the man-advantage, Lekkerimäki further made his case for an opening night roster spot with his second one-timer goal of the game.
2-2 Tie
Not long after tying the game, Demko was forced into heroics again when Edmonton’s Matt Savoie blitzed past a flatfooted Willander for a breakaway try.
Arshdeep Bains had his best chance of the game, rifling a rebound off the post.
Past the midway point of the period, Conor Garland drew a roughing minor against Mangiapane. Then, seconds after the opening draw, Pettersson drew a “removing an opponent’s helmet” minor penalty against Leon Draisaitl, giving Vancouver a lengthy 5-on-3 power play opportunity.
Unfortunately, Evander Kane took a lazy tripping minor against Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to start the 5-on-3, giving the Canucks 1:20 of 4-on-3 time, starting from the d-zone. Interestingly, Foote went with a group of Hughes, Pettersson, DeBrusk, and Boeser.
Nothing came of either man-advantage, but the Canucks felt like they were firmly in the driver’s seat until the conclusion of the period.
Some Third Period takeaways:
-Adam Foote needed one power play shift to see what Lekkerimäki could do with time and space and a one-timer before moving him to a power play unit featuring Hughes. Yet, he did not trust Lekkerimäki enough for the 5-on-3, or 4-on-3 opportunity, despite being the club’s most lethal shooter. Curious.
-Evander Kane looked a step behind all night. A concerning number of passes from Lekkerimäki and Cootes went within reach, only for Kane to look two steps behind to catch the pass. The best compliment I can give Kane is that he had a handful of OK chip-and-chase efforts. Otherwise, colour me unimpressed.

Overtime

To start overtime, Foote rolled a trio of Hronek, Pettersson, and DeBrusk. After winning possession, Hronek changed off for Hughes and DeBrusk for Boeser.
Smelling an opening, Conor Garland drove through the middle and around Pickard’s left leg for the game-winner! Not just against anyone, against McDavid and Draisaitl no less!
3-2 Canucks final.
Some takeaways from the game:
-Hughes looks like he’s already campaigning for his second Norris Trophy. I don’t know what he does for cardio training, but he’s a freak. He’s the fastest kid alive.
-Lekkerimäki and Cootes looking both dynamic offensively, sound defensively, and a step faster than their veteran linemate, Evander Kane, has surely guaranteed both’s place on the opening night roster. They were difference makers against an opening night calibre Edmonton Oilers roster. That’s saying something.
-I don’t want to do the “he’s back” thing, but Demko looks so back. I really liked his game tonight. ‘Regular-season Hellebuyck’ tier of composure between the pipes tonight.
What’s your instant reaction to this game? Let us know in the comments section below!

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