Former Vancouver Canuck top prospect Vasily Podkolzin lands devastating blow in fight with Jeremy Lauzon

The Edmonton Oilers played their first game without Connor McDavid this season on Thursday night as they continued their four-game road trip with a stop in Nashville, Tennessee to take on the Predators.

Led by a multi-goal effort from Leon Draisaitl and a great outing from Calvin Pickard between the pipes, the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Nashville Predators by a score of 5 to 1.

During the game, former Vancouver Canucks forward Vasily Podkolzin took his opportunity to shine in a fight with Nashville Predators defenceman Jeremy Lauzon.

Early on in the third period, the Edmonton Oilers were in the Predators' zone when Vasily Podkolzin attempts to chip a puck along the boards past Jeremy Lauzon. The Predators blueliner then steps to finish his check on Podkolzin and the two get to talking before dropping the mitts.

The fight itself didn't last too long, with Vasily Podkolzin landing a couple of huge punches to Jeremy Lauzon's head, leaving the Predators defenceman leaking blood and in need of repairs. As always, both Podkolzin and Lauzon each received a five-minute major for fighting.

The Vancouver Canucks decided to move on from Vasily Podkolzin, shipping him to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. With his opportunities dwindling in Vancouver and the need to put him on waivers if they wanted to assign him to the American Hockey League, Patrik Allvin wanted to act and not lose the former first-round pick for nothing.

It's been a tough start to the season for Vasily Podkolzin. After a strong training camp, the Moscow native has registered just two assists, along with nine penalty minutes and is a minus-four in 11 games. He's also seen a bit of a jump in his average ice time when compared to the 2023-24 season with Vancouver, going from 10:49 to 11:22.

The Oilers are confident that Vasily Podkolzin will be able to help produce offense for the team in the coming weeks. With Connor McDavid out of the lineup due to an ankle injury, the Oilers need secondary scoring now more than ever in his absence.