Evan Bouchard's Hat Trick Could Not Save Tristan Jarry in Babcock's 6-5 Oilers Debut

Mike Babcock's first game behind the Edmonton Oilers bench had everything except a win. Paul Cotter scored 1:59 into overtime to give the Vancouver Canucks a 6-5 win Tuesday night in Edmonton, spoiling a five-point night from Evan Bouchard and a furious Oilers comeback. It was also the first game for Manny Malhotra as Vancouver's head coach.

For fantasy managers, the game raised two questions that will matter all season: how much Edmonton can trust Tristan Jarry, and how Babcock plans to deploy his top players.

Bouchard's historic night

Bouchard scored three goals and added two assists. It was the first opening-night hat trick by a defenseman since Mark Howe in the 1980-81 season. Vasily Podkolzin added two goals for Edmonton, which trailed 5-2 midway through the third period and scored three straight to force overtime.

Bouchard was already one of the top fantasy defensemen in the league, largely because of his role on Edmonton's first power-play unit. He will not score three goals often, but the game was a reminder of his ceiling. He is a top-five fantasy defenseman in points leagues and an easy start every night.

Podkolzin is worth a look in deeper leagues. Two goals on opening night will not keep him in the top six by themselves, but if Babcock keeps rolling three lines, his even-strength minutes should be higher than they would have been under a coach who leans heavily on the stars.

Jarry's rough start

The bigger story for fantasy managers is in net. Jarry allowed six goals on 17 shots, a .736 save percentage. Vancouver scored on Marco Rossi, Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Max Sasson, Elias Pettersson and Cotter, with one more goal in regulation, on only 17 shots.

Edmonton acquired Jarry from Pittsburgh in December in the trade that sent Stuart Skinner the other way. Jarry was sharp early in his Edmonton tenure, including a win over Skinner five days after the swap, and the Oilers went into this season with him as their starter. One game is not a trend, but it is not the start Edmonton wanted, and it will keep attention on the goaltending position all season.

Fantasy advice: do not drop Jarry after one game. He is still the starter on a team that should win a lot of hockey games, which matters for wins. His ratio stats are the risk. Managers in leagues that weight save percentage and goals-against average should have a backup plan and be ready to bench him in tough matchups.

Babcock's ice time philosophy

Babcock spread even-strength minutes more evenly than Oilers fans are used to. His first, second and third lines all played between roughly 10 and 12:30 at five-on-five. That is a big change from recent seasons, when Edmonton's top players regularly logged heavy even-strength minutes.

For fantasy, this is worth watching. If Edmonton's stars are playing fewer even-strength minutes, their point totals depend more on the power play, where they still dominate. That lowers their floor on nights when the power play goes quiet. It also helps depth players, like Podkolzin, whose value depends on minutes.

It is one game, and Babcock may adjust once he sees how his lines perform. After the comeback, it would not be a surprise if the top line's minutes went up in the next few games.

Vancouver's takeaways

The Canucks got contributions from across the lineup. Pettersson's goal is a good sign after a difficult stretch in recent seasons. Rossi and Lekkerimaki both scored, and Sasson added one. Vancouver's scoring depth could make several of these players useful in deep leagues, especially if Malhotra rolls his lines the way he did in the opener.

The betting angle

Edmonton entered the season with high expectations, and the market priced the Oilers as a clear favorite in this game. One loss does not change the big picture, but the goaltending question will affect future lines. If Jarry struggles again, expect bettors to lean away from Edmonton in games against strong offensive teams.

The total is the more interesting market. With Babcock spreading minutes and Jarry allowing goals, Oilers games could go over more often early in the season.

Verdexed's model posts its NHL picks every game day at /blog/nhl-picks-2026-09-30, and the full board is on the NHL predictions page.

What to watch in Edmonton's next few games

The Oilers' next few starts will answer the questions from opening night. The first is in net: whether Jarry gets the next start or Babcock turns to his backup to send a message. A quick hook would be a warning sign for Jarry's fantasy value.

The second is ice time. If the first line's minutes rise after the loss, Babcock's even distribution in the opener was a first-night experiment. If they stay flat, managers should lower expectations for Edmonton's stars at even strength and lean more on their power-play production.

What it means

Start Bouchard every night. Hold Jarry, but keep an eye on his next few starts. Add Podkolzin in deep leagues if the ice time holds. For Edmonton's stars, Babcock's approach is the biggest thing to watch in the first two weeks. If he keeps spreading minutes evenly, their even-strength production will take a hit.