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Mike Babcock was blunt after chaotic Edmonton Oilers home opener loss

Preston Hodgkinson
Preston Hodgkinson
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Sep 30 2026, 12:00 pm
Mike Babcock was blunt after chaotic Edmonton Oilers home opener loss
@EdmontonOilers/X

Meet the new Edmonton Oilers, same as the old Edmonton Oilers.

On a night when the Oilers were looking to turn a new page and finally commit to a defensively responsible game, they instead turned their home opener into a barn-burner that resulted in a 6-5 OT loss against the rebuilding Vancouver Canucks.

The first 40 minutes saw the home side dominate possession, but the final frame was a completely different story. Old issues reappeared as Tristan Jarry struggled between the pipes, the defensive structure started to fall in on itself, and the special teams battle got away from them.

In true Oilers fashion, the team managed to erase a 5-2 deficit with a dramatic late-game comeback to tie the game in the last minute, with Evan Bouchard leading the way with a hat trick and five points, only to lose that extra point in OT.

Head coach Mike Babcock got his first up-close view of the Oilers’ experience on Tuesday night, and it was evident that he wasn’t too happy with how his team performed.

“I thought we started good, and then we didn’t do things right,” Babcock told reporters. “We turned the puck over, we stayed out too long on the ice, we made poor decisions… If we want to play like that, we’re going to be chasing the game.

“I don’t think I thought for one second that it was going to be easy, but tonight was an indication we have serious work to do… Playing like that and getting away from what we’re supposed to do is unacceptable for us, so we gotta set a better standard for ourselves.”

Though the Oilers didn’t exactly do a great job limiting chances against, Jarry needed to be better in this one.Ā Much has been said about the veteran goaltender having a bounce-back season after losing the starter’s job down the stretch last season, but things got off to a rocky start.

Jarry allowed six goals on 23 shots against, ending the night with a dismal .739 save percentage. According to MoneyPuck, the Canucks mustered just 2 expected goals (xG) on the night, meaning the Oilers netminder is already behind the eight-ball at -4 goals-saved above-expected (GSAx) through one game.

After the game, Jarry took his fair share of the blame for the loss, and Babcock admitted that his goalie could have been better, but also put a lot of blame on the play in front of the Oilers’ net.

“That was pretty clear; everybody knows that. We might as well move on,” Babcock said. “Our part is to play way better; that was ridiculous.”

The Oilers also squandered a legendary performance from Bouchard, who became the first defenceman to score a hat trick in a season opener since Mark Howe did so for the Hartford Whalers in 1980.

Bouchard also became the first defenceman in NHL history to record five points during a season opener.

You don’t get a lot of games like that from your superstars, and Babcock felt like Edmonton squandered an excellent showing from their top defender.

“In the offensive zone, he’s special to say the least,” Babcock said. “You can’t have a guy with five points and lose the hockey game; it just doesn’t make any sense. So, we can talk about these guys and the talent and all that, but we gotta do things right as a group.

“That’s the great thing about the National Hockey League: if you don’t do it right, you feel bad when you leave the rink.”

Edmonton has struggled to start the season on the right foot for several seasons now, and it’ll be up to Babcock and his staff to make sure that Tuesday’s chaotic loss doesn’t become the norm moving forward.

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