Must watch Oilers games: November Edition

The season ratchets up a notch for the Edmonton Oilers in November, with 15 games on the docket.

That’s basically one every two nights. They face Eastern Conference opponents nine times and will spend considerable time on the road, playing nine games away from Rogers Place. The schedule also has some nuance, with two 9 p.m. local starts slotted for Saturdays against the Vancouver Canucks and Seattle Kraken, and a “Sportsnet +” streaming game on Nov. 9 against the New York Rangers. Aside from some late nights and potentially lighter wallets from paying for yet another streaming service, fans should have a few November matchups circled on their calendars.

Oilers vs. Devils – Nov. 3, 6:30 p.m.

Opponent	2025-26 Head-to-Head Record	Goals For	Goals Against	Powerplay %	Penalty Kill %
New Jersey Devils	0-2-0	4	7	0.0% (0/5)	75.0% (3/4)

The Oilers head out east for the New York/New Jersey swing at the end of October. The final game of that three-game trip is against the New Jersey Devils, who have recently acquired Connor Hellebuyck. The Devils have been excellent defensively this season, suppressing chances with the league’s best. They weren’t getting saves early in the season, but many expect that to change with the addition of Hellebuyck. Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt have been excellent, sharing great chemistry and feeding off of each other’s speed. Team defence, supplemented by offence from their big guns, has catapulted the Devils to second in the Metropolitan Division, a spot they should expect to retain with their new goaltender.

The Oilers struggled against New Jersey last season, losing both matchups and going 0-for-5 on the power play. They’ll need to buck that trend and break through in this one, given how strong New Jersey has been five-on-five. New Jersey has also feasted on the transition game this year, taking advantage of the speed their top forwards possess. Watch for the Oilers to focus more on getting pucks in deep to minimize turnovers near the offensive blue line. If Hellebuyck does play, the Oilers will see a familiar foe that they have had more success against than most teams can say. They average over three goals per game against Hellebuyck and have split results in 33 matchups over the course of his career. Their recipe has been getting bodies in front and capitalizing on their own transition game, with the latter being a challenge in this one given how strong New Jersey has been defensively.

The end of a road trip, albeit a shorter one, can sometimes yield a trap game. The Oilers can ill afford to coast their way through this one against New Jersey, and it will take a full team effort to come out of this matchup with two points.

Oilers vs. Maple Leafs – Nov. 14, 6 p.m.

Opponent	Head-to-Head Record	Goals For	Goals Against	Powerplay %	Penalty Kill %
Toronto Maple Leafs (2026-27 Season)	0-1-0	2	7	33.3% (1/3)	0.0% (0/1)
Toronto Maple Leafs (2025-26 Season)	1-1-0	8	8	0.0% (0/1)	0.0% (0/2)

The Oilers kick off a six-game road trip in the middle of the month with an opportunity to atone for a poor effort against the Maple Leafs on Oct. 24 on Saturday Night Hockey (it’s painful not to write “Hockey Night in Canada,” so here it is). Mike Babcock said that game “should [have been] automatic,” and yet the Oilers were outclassed by the Leafs across the board. Anthony Stolarz was strong in net, the Leafs got contributions from up and down the lineup, and Toronto was ultimately able to leave Edmonton with a 7-2 win.

The Leafs were cooled off by the Flames a couple of nights after beating the Oilers but have been playing some good hockey lately. They’ll look for a rinse and repeat of the October matchup in this one.

The Oilers, on the other hand, should come into this game with extra motivation to show the last game was just a blip and that they’re capable of doing the same thing to the Leafs in their barn this time. Dating back to last season, Toronto has scored on their last three power play opportunities, despite the Oilers doing a good job of staying out of the box. Minimal power play chances for the Leafs, and the PK breaking through will be key in this one. The Oilers also will need a stronger performance from whoever suits up between the pipes, as Tristan Jarry’s six goals allowed on 31 shots in the last game won’t cut it against any NHL opponent.

Oilers vs. Panthers – Nov. 17, 6 p.m.

Opponent	2025-26 Head-to-Head Record	Goals For	Goals Against	Powerplay %	Penalty Kill %
Florida Panthers	1-1-0	6	7	0.0% (0/4)	66.7% (4/6)

The Oilers head to Florida a couple of nights later for a game against the Panthers. Fans and players alike should have this game circled not only because it’s a Stanley Cup rematch but also because it represents another good measuring-stick game.

The Panthers are off to a pedestrian start this season and have dealt with injury troubles of their own. They likely will be without Brad Marchand and Aleksander Barkov for this matchup but still boast a wealth of talent in their lineup. Everyone remembers the suffocating defence that they played on the Oilers during the Cup finals, and the main culprits from the last one remain intact on Florida’s back end. Up front, they added another major piece in Brady Tkachuk over the summer, while new goaltender Jacob Markstrom is expected to return in time for this game.

The two teams split the season series last year, in a couple of exciting affairs. To come away from this one with two points, the Oilers will need to win the special teams battle. Florida tends to take penalties, so the Oilers will need to make them pay when they do, especially after not being able to break through on the PP last season. The PK will also have to be better after allowing two goals against last year. Again, minimizing chances for Florida’s stars on the power play will be important, but the Oilers will probably need a couple of kills to come away with two points from this game.

It’s a bit painful to even mention, but the last key will be for the Oilers to contain the Tkachuk brothers. Both will look to establish a physical presence early, so the Oilers will need to limit opportunities for them to drag their team into the fight early in the game. Not allowing them to cycle the puck, lay some hits, and be comfortable in the offensive zone will keep them quiet and allow the Oilers to grab the momentum. With Barkov out, the brothers are playing even larger roles than expected, so keeping them as quiet as possible will be key.

Oilers vs. Lightning – Nov. 19, 6:30 p.m.

Opponent	2025-26 Head-to-Head Record	Goals For	Goals Against	Powerplay %	Penalty Kill %
Tampa Bay Lightning	0-1-1	3	7	0.0% (0/5)	83.3% (5/6)

The Oilers remain in the Sunshine State for a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning two nights later. The Florida trip has been a bit of a gambit for teams in the last few years, and this year is no different as the Lightning present another good test. March 21’s matchup from last season comes to mind when thinking of Tampa Bay, as post-game comments from Connor McDavid caused a stir. McDavid praised the Lightning, calling them “well-rehearsed” and “perfectly coached”. While he later clarified these comments weren’t a criticism of the Oilers’ coaching at the time, many started to see the writing on the wall for Kris Knoblauch afterwards. While it was later in the season, that game represented the same litmus test for the Oilers, one where they were beaten 5-2 and were never really close. Adding to the allure of this one is Nikita Kucherov’s announcement on Friday that he does not intend to sign back with the Lightning at the end of this contract and that he wishes to be traded. While Kuch intends to play out his contract for Tampa, and they have already stated that they won’t trade him, we’ll see if anything has materialized by the time Edmonton rolls into town.

Tampa has started the season well, coming off a first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens to end last season. The Lightning have controlled five-on-five play very well, with an expected goal share over 55%, ranking them inside the league’s top five. They also live and die by the rush, ranking at the top of the pack for rush-chance generation and near the bottom defending the rush. Their special teams are middling and present something for the Oilers to exploit, although it’s hard to think a power play with Kucherov and Brayden Point won’t start clicking at some point.

With Tampa’s dominant five-on-five play, the key to this game will be contributions from up and down the lineup for Edmonton. They’ll need each of their lines to limit Tampa’s time on attack, guard against the rush, and try to create off the rush. The same way teams try to shut down McDavid and Draisaitl, the Oilers will also look for a lockdown game against Kucherov and Point, and for their superstars to win that matchup. Capitalizing on opportunities when they come will also be key, as Tampa doesn’t usually give many up. Overall, the Oilers will look to be the ones who are well-coached and well-rehearsed in their first meeting with Tampa this year.

READ MORE: Could the Oilers put together a competitive offer for Nikita Kucherov?

Oilers vs. Golden Knights – Nov. 24, 7 p.m.

Opponent	2025-26 Head-to-Head Record	Goals For	Goals Against	Powerplay %	Penalty Kill %
Vegas Golden Knights	3-1-0	13	13	20.0% (2/10)	75.0% (9/12)

The first game back from the Eastern road trip sees the Oilers match up with the Vegas Golden Knights, the first of four meetings between the clubs this season. Early on, the Knights and Oilers have been neck and neck for the top spot in the Pacific Division. This shouldn’t come as a surprise and makes this game that much more important. Each team will want the upper hand in the season series as two points within the division could come in very handy at the end of the season.

Vegas and Edmonton have had some similarities to start the season. Vegas is led by Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, and Mitch Marner, with there being a drop-off in production after their names on the roster. The Knights haven’t had issues scoring and have had a leaky penalty kill; sound familiar? The Oilers will look to take advantage of the Knights’ PK and also will have the last change in this game. This will allow them to match up a shutdown line against Vegas’ top players should they choose, hopefully freeing up Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl for more of an offensive focus in this one. The Knights’ power play is always dangerous and ranks inside the top ten in the league, all while adjusting to life without Pavel Dorofeyev. By the time this game happens, they’ll have another few weeks of reps under their belt and promise to test the Oilers’ PK.

To come away with the W in this crucial divisional matchup, the Oilers will need to make sound decisions with the puck to not feed Vegas’ attack. They’ll try to maximize puck control and will look to capitalize on the power play. Many consider Vegas to be one of Edmonton’s biggest rivals which hopefully will have the Oilers bringing a bit extra with them for this one.

With a busy schedule ahead in November, we’ll continue to learn what the Oilers are made of. They face some strong opponents, get some bonding time with teammates on the road, and also see some games where two points are a must.