Granlund scores winner as Canucks end pre-season with win over Oilers
The Oilers officially open up their new Rogers Place arena on Wednesday as they host the Calgary Flames
Markus Grandlund scored the winner and added an assist as the Vancouver Canucks overcame a slow start to close out their exhibition schedule with a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.
Brandon Sutter and Sven Baertschi also scored for the Canucks, who went 3-2-2 in pre-season play.
Benoit Pouliot and Connor McDavid replied for the Oilers (5-3-0), who had a three-game winning streak snapped.
After carrying the bulk of the play for most of the opening frame, the Oilers finally got on the board as Leon Draisaitl sent Pouliot in on a partial breakaway and he fought off defender Philip Larsen to beat Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom.
Vancouver got that goal back just 22 seconds later when Sutter redirected a Larsen point shot past Edmonton starter Cam Talbot.
Edmonton made it 2-1 five minutes into the middle frame on a power play. Milan Lucic chipped a puck to McDavid at the line and he calmly banked it in off of Markstrom's back from a bad angle for his fourth goal of the pre-season.
The Oilers outshot the Canucks 28-8 through 40 minutes.
The Canucks tied the game on a power play as Baertschi lifted a shot into the net during a scramble in front.
Vancouver put the game away with 2:34 remaining when a soft shot by Edler was sped up on the way to the net by Granlund, who gave it the extra heat needed to beat Talbot.
The Oilers officially open up their new Rogers Place arena on Wednesday as they host the Calgary Flames to start the regular season. The Canucks are off until next Saturday, when they open the season at home, also against Calgary.
Notes: It was the second meeting of the pre-season between the two Canadian teams, with the Canucks winning the first encounter 5-3 in Vancouver… Veteran defenceman Kris Russell made his Oilers debut after signing as a free agent with Edmonton on Friday. Russell, who played for Calgary and Dallas last season, wore Taylor Hall's former No. 4… Vancouver defenceman Alex Edler has seven assists in five games.