The Vancouver Canucks lost 2-1 to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night, except calling the team they played the Edmonton Oilers is being a little generous, when really they lost to the Bakersfield Condors.
Vancouver dressed a lineup full of NHL players while Edmonton left Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard, Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins at home. Isaac Howard was one of the few players in the Oilers lineup expected to spend the season in Edmonton, while most of the roster was made up of players headed for Bakersfield or still trying to move themselves up the organization's depth chart.
Ty Emberson took the ceremonial puck drop for the Oilers before the game. Enough said.
So if you're a Canucks fan, what exactly are you supposed to do with that one?
Isaac Howard opened the scoring 3:58 into the game and picked up an assist when Quinn Hutson made it 2-0 early in the second period. Linus Karlsson scored Vancouver's only goal on the power play, while Tristan Jarry stopped 25 of 26 shots in Edmonton's net.
The Canucks had plenty of NHL players in their lineup and still spent most of the night catching up to a group of Oilers who will be taking the bus in Bakersfield this season.
Yes, preseason games don't count, and nobody should be making serious conclusions about an NHL season from a game played in September, but Canucks fans are still allowed to look at Thursday's lineup and wonder how they managed to lose that game.
They've also heard enough from Oilers fans over the past few years without handing them something this easy.
Edmonton and Vancouver have developed plenty of animosity over the last few seasons, especially after their seven-game playoff series in 2024. Everyone knows the players aren't fond of each other, and the two fan bases certainly haven't developed any affection in the years since.
Losing to Edmonton is one thing. Watching Howard, Hutson, Jarry and a collection of players headed for the AHL beat a lineup filled with Canucks players—actual Canucks player—is something Oilers fans are going to bring up whenever they get the chance.
Vancouver is also winless through its first three preseason games, and Thursday's lineup had plenty of players expected to be there when the regular season begins.
If you're sitting in Vancouver right now, there has to be at least some thought of, “If we couldn't beat them while they dressed an AHL lineup, what hope do we have when the regular season starts?”
It's preseason, so the actual answer is that Thursday tells us very little about what happens once the points count, but that doesn't make losing to Bakersfield any less embarrassing on Sept. 24.
The Oilers didn't need to bring McDavid, Draisaitl, Bouchard, Hyman or Nugent-Hopkins to still beat the Canucks when Howard can get a goal and an assist, Hutson can score and Jarry, of all goalies, can stop 25 shots, leaving Vancouver with yet another preseason loss.
There could be plenty of losses coming for the Canucks this season at this rate; who knows. What we do know is that their first chance to beat the Oilers was really a failed attempt against the Condors.
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