By Canadian Press

Sutter scores twice, Canucks beat Oilers 4-2 in pre-season play

Sep 17, 2019 | 9:45 PM

VANCOUVER — Brandon Sutter scored twice on Tuesday, lifting the Vancouver Canucks to a 4-2 pre-season victory over the Edmonton Oilers.

Tanner Pearson and Elias Pettersson also put up goals for the Canucks in the team’s second-straight night of exhibition play.

Patrick Russell and Tomas Jurco each scored for Edmonton, and Cooper Marody registered a pair of assists.

Thatcher Demko stopped 34-of-36 shots for Vancouver, while Oilers netminder Shane Starrett had 21 saves.

The Oilers were light on big names in their second pre-season matchup of the year on Tuesday, opting to keep top talents Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Leon Draisaitl back in Edmonton.

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Vancouver opened the scoring 16:19 into the first period after the Oilers turned the puck over at their own blue line, leading Sutter to a breakaway.

Edmonton defenceman Dmitri Samorukov hooked the veteran centre as he released the puck, leading to a penalty shot.

Sutter skated in and patiently waited for Starrett to drop, then put a backhand up and over the sprawled-out netminder.

The Oilers responded midway through the second frame.

Cooper Marody’s pass went off the side of the net, where Jurco scooped it up, popping a snap shot up and over Demko’s right shoulder.

Marody and Patrick Russell were credited with assists.

Tuesday marked Jurco’s first-ever game with the Oilers. The 26-year-old Slovakian right-winger signed a one-year deal with the club on July 1 after two seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks and four years with the Detroit Red Wings.

Jurco helped out with another goal early in the third, leaving a drop pass for Marody, who then pitched the puck to Russell high in the faceoff circle.

The right-winger beat Demko with a low wrist shot, giving the Oilers the lead.

Pettersson evened the score once again 9:39 into the game’s final frame, collecting a rebound off a shot from linemate Micheal Ferland and getting a snap shot past Starrett.

Sutter put the Cancuks ahead just over a minute later, deflecting in a long shot from defenceman Alex Edler to make it 3-2.  

Pearson sealed the scoring with an empty-net goal.

The two sides will face off again on Thursday when the Oilers host the Canucks.

NOTES: Rookie Canucks defenceman Quinn Hughes spent much of the first period in the locker room after taking a stick to the face from Oilers centre Cameron Hebig. … Ferland and defenceman Tyler Myers played their first games in Canucks jerseys. Both players signed with the club as free agents over the summer.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press