The week ahead for the Edmonton Oilers: Western Conference preseason matchups

Edmonton Oilers hockey is officially back! Preseason hockey that is. Starting off the preseason, we had the Battle Of Alberta take place between the Oilers split squad and the Calgary Flames split squad. Most notable to mention is that both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were not dressed for last night’s games.

With preseason games, you never really know what the coach has planned and how many games that the teams best players will be dressed for. The main focus in regards to that, is keeping those players healthy and safe from injury, while getting them ready and warmed up for the regular season. With eight preseason games on deck, the Oilers two star players should end up dressing for three or four games.

The Edmonton Oilers first two preseason games of the 2025–26 season, just took place last night on the road in Calgary and at home at Rogers Place. In Calgary, Edmonton won the game by a final score of 3–0, with goals from Kasperi Kapanen, Connor Clattenburg, and Riley Stillman.  The Oilers outshot the Flames 29–20 in the first split squad game.

At home, Calgary won the game by a final score of 3–2 in overtime. Edmonton got goals from Darnell Nurse and Matvey Petrov, while Calgary received goals from Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee, with Frost scoring the game winner 1:07 into overtime. The Oilers outshot the Flames 30–14 in the second split squad game.

Edmonton Oilers schedule for the week of September 23–28

Next up on the Edmonton Oilers preseason schedule, will see them play four games in six days against the Winnipeg Jets, Seattle Kraken, and Vancouver Canucks. This week, will be the perfect opportunity for the Oilers rookies to show the coaches what they can do, while trying to earn their spot on the opening night roster. Their hardest games this week will be against the Winnipeg Jets, while their easier game should be the one against the Seattle Kraken.

Edmonton Oilers at Winnipeg Jets, Tuesday September 23

It will not take long for the Oilers to see themselves matchup against last season’s Presidents Trophy winners, the Winnipeg Jets. With this game being the first of week two in the preseason, it should be expected that one of either McDavid or Draisaitl will be playing in this game. Last season, the Edmonton Oilers finished with a record of 1–2 (wins and losses) and lost both games with the Jets having scored a total of ten goals.

The Oilers only managed to score three goals between those games, which showed some difficulty against the league’s top team. Preseason hockey is different, which means that the outcome on how Edmonton will do against Winnipeg, all depends on who plays in each game. It will really only matter the most in the regular season.

Seattle Kraken at Edmonton Oilers, Wednesday September 24

The Oilers second game of the week, will see them go head-to-head against another one of their division rivals, the Seattle Kraken. Last season, the Oilers finished with three wins and one loss, thanks to, two wins at home and one on the road. Their only loss of the season against the Kraken, happened on the road in Seattle towards the end of the season on March 27, 2025.

Last season versus the Kraken at home, Edmonton scored nine goals and allowed six. On the road, Seattle scored eight and the Oilers scored five.

Winnipeg Jets at Edmonton Oilers, Friday September 26

The third game of the week, will see the Oilers matchup against the Winnipeg Jets, but this time on home ice at Rogers Place. We already know how the Oilers played against the Jets last season, but what will be different for them this year? That is the big unknown question right now.

In this game, will the Jets show why they were the best team in the league last year, or will the Oilers show them what they can really do? Right now, we do not know who Edmonton will dress in this game, but all we can guess, is that we will see another split squad scenario.

Vancouver Canucks at Edmonton Oilers, Sunday September 28

The final game of week one will see the Oilers come face to face with their third division rivals, the Vancouver Canucks. Last season, the Oilers were able to finish with two wins and one loss. With a win at home and a win on the road, the Oilers managed to outscore the Canucks 13 goals to five. Their only loss of the season against the Canucks, happened on the road in Vancouver on January 18, 2025. In that game, Edmonton only managed to score two goals and allowed three, which ended up losing them the game.