Leon Draisaitl's frustration showed early last night, and the Oilers spent the rest of the evening chasing a start that cost them in overtime.
The Canucks won 6-5 in overtime, with Paul Cotter scoring the winner. Edmonton's opener ended with a point, but nowhere near the result anybody in that building wanted.
The moment that captured the mood came on a routine play. As Mattias Ekholm sent a hard dump-in whistling past him, one viewer thought he heard Draisaitl shout "Jesus Ekky."
It's a small moment. It also says plenty about the mood on a bench that fell behind early and kept falling.
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The Canucks built a 5-2 lead in a building that had just given Mike Babcock a loud welcome. Cotter, Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Marco Rossi were among the Vancouver scorers.
Cotter's first goal came shorthanded, off a sequence that started with a Kevin Lankinen stop. That one stung, because the Oilers had the man advantage.
Paul Cotter finishes it in overtime after a three-goal Oilers rally
Then the Oilers found something. Three unanswered goals pushed the game to overtime, and Evan Bouchard finished with a hat trick.
Connor McDavid set up one of those goals with a slick pass, the kind of play fans had been begging for from the lower bowl.
Bouchard carries a $10,500,000 cap hit, fifth among NHL defencemen. A three-goal night from the back end is exactly what that money is supposed to buy.
Cotter ended it anyway, his second of the night.
The rally was impressive. It doesn't erase a 5-2 hole on home ice in game one, and that start is what Babcock should be hammering on today.
Coming back from that deficit is like sprinting to catch the bus you missed because you hit snooze. Impressive run, still late.
Draisaitl carries a $14,000,000 cap hit, fourth-highest in the league. A player at that number sets the standard, and last night the standard was a three-goal hole.
Frustration after a loss like this is healthy, up to a point. Expect the veterans to have a few pointed words before Thursday.
The rematch is Thursday in Vancouver. If the Oilers start slow again, Ekholm's dump-ins won't be the only thing Draisaitl has something to say about.
Should the Oilers be more frustrated by the slow start than encouraged by the comeback?
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