Edmonton Oilers’ Top 5 Must-See Home Games of 2025-26 NHL Season

The two-time defending Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers will play 82 games, including 41 at Rogers Place. Here’s a look at Edmonton’s five must-see home games this season:

Oct. 8 vs. Calgary Flames

For the first time since 2017-18, Edmonton’s schedule begins with the Battle of Alberta, when the Oilers host the Calgary Flames on Oct. 8. This will be the 10^th time that they have started the season battling their provincial rivals, the most of any opponent. The Oilers have won five of those nine matchups, including the last two.

Edmonton, however, is coming off a pair of dreadful season-opening games: In 2024-25, they were shut out by the Winnipeg Jets at Rogers Place, a 6-0 loss, and in 2023-24, they were steamrolled 8-1 by the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena. Those blowout losses set the stage for a slow start in each of the last two campaigns. A win against the Flames would help the Oilers start 2025-26 on the right foot.

Oct. 11 – Oilers vs. Vancouver Canucks

Speaking of which, if the Oilers start the season 2-0 for the first time in four years, they’ll also have to take care of business against another divisional foe when the Vancouver Canucks visit Rogers Place on Oct. 11. Edmonton’s second game of the regular season also happens to fall on the first Saturday night of 2025-26. While it’s always must-see TV when two Canadian rivals face off on Hockey Night in Canada, this match-up will be extra special, as it will mark the return Evander Kane’s return to Edmonton.

After spending the past three and a half years wearing orange and blue, Kane was traded to the Canucks last month. The veteran forward was a big contributor to the Oilers’ incredible run of success, scoring 88 goals in the regular season and playoffs. He was a popular figure in Oil Country, and he’ll almost certainly receive a nice tribute from his former organization. But he’s also an agitator by trade who is known to rile up opposing fan bases. So, while Kane will be greeted warmly upon his return, he could easily be a villain by night’s end.

Dec. 31- Oilers vs. Boston Bruins

Edmonton is set to host the Boston Bruins on Dec. 31, in what will be the 13th consecutive campaign (excluding 2012 and 2020, when the season started late due to a lockout and the pandemic, respectively) that the Oilers have played a game on New Year’s Eve. It will also be the seventh Dec. 31 game at Rogers Place since the arena opened in 2016.

The Oilers had a horrendous run in NYE games, going 0-13-3-1 (win-loss-overtime loss-tie) from 1988 to 2018. They’ve turned things around recently, however, with a record of 3-1-1 in their last five Dec. 31 contests, including two straight victories: 7-2 on the road against the Anaheim Ducks in 2023, and 4-1 at home over Utah Hockey Club last year.

Edmonton should have a great opportunity to win a franchise-best third consecutive NYE game, as the Bruins are not expected to be a strong squad in 2025-26. The Dec. 31 game is now a tradition in Oil Country, and it’s starting to become a popular one given the team’s recent success. Fans will be hoping that their New Year’s Eve festivities aren’t spoiled by the Bruins.

Feb. 3 – Oilers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

It’s always an event when the Toronto Maple Leafs come to town, and it will be no different when the Buds make their annual visit to the Alberta capital on Feb. 3. The Maple Leafs have a large fan base that turns out in droves for these matchups in Edmonton. But they’re also exceptionally disliked by Oilers fans, which makes for a supercharged atmosphere every time these Canadian rivals clash in Oil Country.

Oilers vs. Maple Leafs also means a meeting of two of this generation’s greatest players: Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews (provided one of them isn’t out of action, which has unfortunately been a semi-regular occurrence with their potential head-to-head tilts). Edmonton captain McDavid leads the NHL in points since he was drafted first overall in 2015, while Toronto captain Matthews has the most goals in the NHL since he was drafted first overall in 2016.

This will also be Edmonton’s last home game for exactly one month. The Oilers will play in Calgary on Feb. 4 before the Olympic break begins, and then play their first three games coming out of the break on the road, starting Feb. 25 in Anaheim. They’ll finally return home to face the Ottawa Senators on March 3.

March 19 – Oilers vs. Florida Panthers

This season’s second clash between their Cup Final opponents in 2024 and 2025 takes place at Rogers Place on March 19 (the first will be in Florida at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, on Nov. 22). The Florida Panthers and Oilers have met a combined 13 times in the last two Junes, which is pretty much all that needs to be said about why this game is a must watch.

After suffering gut-wrenching losses to the Panthers in consecutive Cup Finals, Edmonton will be out for a measure of revenge, and considering there’s no love lost for foes Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, and Matthew Tkachuk, Edmonton fans’ thirst for vengeance will be even greater.

Additionally, the Panthers’ visit to Oil Country comes at a pivotal point in the schedule, as the Oilers will only have 12 games remaining after this one. With the playoff race likely to be down to the wire in the Western Conference, every point could mean moving up or down in the standings. It’s only been a month since the 2025 Stanley Cup Final wrapped up, and already the countdown is on to the big games of 2025-26. Edmonton’s home-opener is now less than 12 weeks away.