Brock Boeser scored a pair of third-period goals to lead the visiting Vancouver Canucks to a 5-3, season-opening victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night.

Bo Horvat netted one goal and one assist while Tanner Pearson and Quinn Hughes both produced two assists for the Canucks, who received a 28-save performance from new goaltender Braden Holtby.

Nils Hoglander, making his NHL debut, and Adam Gaudette also scored for Vancouver. Kailer Yamamoto, Darnell Nurse and Adam Larsson were the Edmonton goal-scorers. Oilers goalie Mikko Koskinen stopped 30 shots.

The clubs will meet again Thursday night in Edmonton.

With the score tied 2-2, Gaudette gave the Canucks their third lead of the night by one-timing a perfect shot from the high slot at the 1:53 mark of the final frame.

Boeser subsequently struck twice, tallying both the winning goal and an insurance marker.

Boeser made it a 4-2 game when he took advantage of a wide-open chance from the slot at the 3:44 mark.

Larsson gave the Oilers a much needed jolt of life when he scored at 8:18 of the period to make it a one-goal difference, but Boeser found the mark off the rush at 13:46 to round out the scoring.

Late in a choppy first period, the impact of no preseason games, Horvat opened the scoring when he was left alone in the slot and converted a feed from Pearson at 15:32.

Yamamoto replied for the Oilers 5:39 into the second period, finishing a chance he created by stealing the puck, but Hoglander replied with 2:41 left in the frame to make it a 2-1 game. Hoglander, Vancouver's 2019 second-round draft pick, pounced on a loose puck for his first NHL goal.

Nurse tied the game again 10 seconds into the third period by rifling quick wrist shot, but the hosts weren't able to build on the momentum.

Both teams are missing key players to start the season. The Oilers, playing without top-pairing defenseman Oscar Klefbom due to shoulder surgery, also was without forward James Neal. The Canucks had to play without the services of J.T. Miller, who tied for the team lead with 27 goals and paced the squad with 72 points last season.

--Field Level Media