"What a choke job": Paul Bissonnette in disbelief as Edmonton Oilers squander 3-goal lead in Game 1 loss to Vancouver Canucks 

By Abhishek Dilta

Modified May 09, 2024 12:00 GMT

Former NHLer Paul Bissonnette was in disbelief as the Edmonton Oilers squandered a three-goal lead against the Vancouver Canucks in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series on Wednesday.

Paul Bissonnette reacted to the Oilers' defeat through a post on X/Twitter:

"I can’t believe it. What is Edmonton doing??? What a choke job," Bissonnette wrote.

The Canucks had a tough start in the first period, allowing the Oilers to take advantage and build a lead. The Edmonton Oilers didn't settle there; they struck twice in quick succession in the second period, delivering a harsh reminder of the series' intensity.

The Oilers were up 4-1 midway through the second period. However, the Canucks found an opportunity to bounce back when Elias Lindholm made a clever bank shot off goalie Stuart Skinner from the side of the net late in the second period to go 4-2 into the final period.

The momentum continued for the Canucks when J.T. Miller skillfully deflected a pass from Brock Boeser into the net and cut down the deficit to just one goal before the halfway mark of the third period.

The game took a turn and completely put the Edmonton Oilers on the backfoot when Nikita Zadorov scored glove side to make it 4-4 before Connor Garland scored another with a fake slapshot.

The Canucks scored two quick goals in 45 seconds, leading to a thrilling 5-4 victory in Game 1.

Paul Bissonnette commends Canucks for impressive comeback against Oilers

Paul Bissonnette was amazed by the Canucks' incredible performance in Game 1 and praised them for rallying from being down 4-1 to stun the Oilers in the second period:

"What a performance by the Canucks down 4-1 to come back and stun the Oilers in Game 1. That was a wild 3rd," Bissonette said.

Meanwhile, Nikita Zadorov, who scored a crucial game-tying goal for the Canucks, recognized the team's strong belief, even when they were behind 4-1. The defenseman gave credit to every player for their resilience shown in the matchup:

"There's a lot of belief in this group,” Zadorov said (via NHL.com). “I don't think anybody is giving up even when we were down 4-1. We were staying positive because we're liked our five-on-five game. … You got to give the credit to every guy in this room and Arturs stood with us at the end too."

The Canucks lead the series 1-0. Game 2 returns to Rogers Arena on Friday.