Alex Chiasson was the man to open the scoring as he slid one past Thatcher Demko on a spin-o-rama move with eight seconds left during the Oil’s third power-play opportunity of the game. Edmonton wasn’t in the clear yet as the Canucks had a plethora of high-quality scoring chances from the half-way point to nearing the end of the second period. Smith made a sprawling save on a front porch second chance opportunity shot from Jake Virtanen with 7:28 left in the second frame.
Early in the year, it was like Canucks players had forgotten how to play hockey altogether. Passes weren’t clicking. The players looked like they’d never played defence before.
At this point, Ryan had two goals on the scoresheet in his first game back in Ottawa since leaving the team in November 2019 to enter the player assistance program related to substance abuse. Back on the ice in Ottawa, he was feeling good and had already taken fans at the Canadian Tire Centre and those watching the game on television on an emotional ride.