VANCOUVER — Brandon Sutter scored twice on Tuesday, lifting the Vancouver Canucks to a 4-2 preseason victory over the Edmonton Oilers.
Tanner Pearson and Elias Pettersson also put up goals for the Canucks in the team’s second-straight night of exhibition play.
Patrick Russell and Tomas Jurco each scored for Edmonton, and Cooper Marody registered a pair of assists.
Thatcher Demko stopped 34-of-36 shots for Vancouver, while Oilers netminder Shane Starrett had 21 saves.
The Oilers were light on big names in their second pre-season matchup of the year on Tuesday, opting to keep top talents Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Leon Draisaitl back in Edmonton.
Vancouver opened the scoring 16:19 into the first period after the Oilers turned the puck over at their own blue line, leading Sutter to a breakaway.
Edmonton defenceman Dmitri Samorukov hooked the veteran centre as he released the puck, leading to a penalty shot.
Sutter skated in and patiently waited for Starrett to drop, then put a backhand up and over the sprawled-out netminder.
The Oilers responded midway through the second frame.
Cooper Marody’s pass went off the side of the net, where Jurco scooped it up, popping a snap shot up and over Demko’s right shoulder.
Marody and Patrick Russell were credited with assists.
Tuesday marked Jurco’s first-ever game with the Oilers. The 26-year-old Slovakian right-winger signed a one-year deal with the club on July 1 after two seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks and four years with the Detroit Red Wings.
Jurco helped out with another goal early in the third, leaving a drop pass for Marody, who then pitched the puck to Russell high in the faceoff circle.
The right-winger beat Demko with a low wrist shot, giving the Oilers the lead.
Pettersson evened the score once again 9:39 into the game’s final frame, collecting a rebound off a shot from linemate Micheal Ferland and getting a snap shot past Starrett.
Sutter put the Canucks ahead just over a minute later, deflecting in a long shot from defenceman Alex Edler to make it 3-2.
Pearson sealed the scoring with an empty-net goal.
The two sides will face off again on Thursday when the Oilers host the Canucks.
Notes
Rookie Canucks defenceman Quinn Hughes spent much of the first period in the locker room after taking a stick to the face from Oilers centre Cameron Hebig. … Ferland and defenceman Tyler Myers played their first games in Canucks jerseys. Both players signed with the club as free agents over the summer.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press