Oilers suffer first loss, Lehtera returns to action

The Edmonton Oilers suffered their first loss of the NHL pre-season, going down 5-2 to the Vancouver Canucks at Rexall Place on Thursday.

Bo Horvat was the only player to score twice, with Sven Baertschi setting up four of the Canucks' five goals in Edmonton.

Thursday's defeat ended the Oilers' perfect record in pre-season, having won six consecutive games previously.

Nikita Kucherov's injury was the talking point in the Tampa Bay Lightning's 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars at Amalie Arena.

Kucherov found the net just 33 seconds into the contest after the opening face-off, but was injured on his second shift, playing just 1:01.

However, Lightning coach Jon Cooper was hopeful that Kucherov will not miss the season opener against the Philadelphia Flyers next Thursday.

Jori Lehtera had a goal and an assist in his first game back after undergoing surgery on his right ankle at the start of August, helping the St Louis Blues to a 5-2 win against reigning Stanley Cup champions the Chicago Blackhawks.

Mark Scheifele scored twice as the Winnipeg Jets secured a 3-1 win over the Calgary Flames.

The Ottawa Senators scored five consecutive goals in their 5-2 victory against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre.

The Minnesota Wild picked up a big 6-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres, while the Anaheim Ducks kept the Colorado Avalanche scoreless in a 3-0 shutout.