McDavid the only answer in loss to Canucks

Captain provides all of the offence

Let Connor do it. VANCOUVER That’s been the Edmonton Oilers’ motto for almost two months and even more so over the past five games, when he’s been in on 13 of their 17 goals.

But while Connor McDavid got his 26th goal since Feb. 1 with a dazzling individual effort, nobody else picked up the slack against the Vancouver Canucks, who came back to win 2-1 Thursday despite having more than a half-dozen players out of their lineup.

They were carried by Jacob Markstrom, who made a series of excellent stops after McDavid’s goal 11 minutes into the game.

Defenceman Derrick Pouliot and former Oilers forward Sam Gagner had the Canucks’ goals as they won their third straight game, all with Markstrom in net.

Pouliot snuck in from the point and wheeled around goalie Cam Talbot, who overcommitted on the play, and got his first goal in 42 games to give the injury-riddled Canucks their lead early in the third.

Gagner atoned from a firstperiod play, where McDavid surprised him and took the puck away to score, by slapping in a loose puck near the goalmouth after Talbot couldn’t get a handle on Daniel Sedin’s shot. It popped right to Gagner, who’s now on the wing with the Sedins after Thomas Vanek was traded to Columbus.

McDavid took a long lob from Andrej Sekera midway through the first, hunted down Gagner, bulled him off the puck and in two strides ripped a 20-footer past Markstrom for his 41st goal — the most by an Oilers player since Mark Messier had 45 in 1989-90 on the way to nosing out Ray Bourque for MVP.

Gagner was sick and wasn’t at the morning skate, but was well enough to play.

On the bench: Oilers centre Jujhar Khaira was the figurehead of South Asian Celebration Night at Rogers Arena. Only three players — Khaira, Canucks assistant coach Manny Malhotra and Robin Bawa — have made it to the NHL … The Oilers scratched defenceman Ethan Bear for the first time since his call-up March 1. He had played 14 in a row, but without the puck, he’s minus-8. Anton Slepyshev was also scratched. Yohann Auvitu went in for Bear and Iiro Pakarinen played on the fourth line … The Canucks didn’t have Brock Boeser, Chris Tanev, Loui Eriksson, Erik Gudbranson, Sven Baertschi and Ben Hutton, all done for the season. Jake Virtanen was ill and didn’t play.