The Edmonton Oilers head into their second week with some momentum, even if the first three games came with plenty of noise attached.
Last week opened with a 6-5 loss to the Vancouver Canucks, a game that saw the Oilers battle back from three separate deficits. One of those holes was especially deep, with Edmonton trailing 5-2 just five minutes into the third period. They did salvage a point, but it was hardly the kind of opener that leaves a fan base feeling great about the night.
The next meeting in that home-and-home flipped the result, if not the stress level. Edmonton came away with a 9-7 win at Rogers Arena before following that up with a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken. That one was tighter than the final score might suggest, but the Oilers still found a way to get the job done.
Now the schedule turns to two divisional matchups. On Wednesday, the Oilers get a rematch of their 2026 first-round series with the Anaheim Ducks.
Then on Saturday afternoon, they face the San Jose Sharks, a team that is chasing a playoff spot after a stronger-than-expected 2025-26 season. It will also be the first time Edmonton sees San Jose since the Darnell Nurse trade, which sent the longtime Oiler to the Sharks in exchange for Shakir Mukhamadullin and Zack Sharp.
The early signs on offense are encouraging. Edmonton has scored at least three goals in each of its last three games, though one of those three against Seattle came into an empty net.
Even with that caveat, the attack has started well. Seattle made the Oilers work for nearly the entire game before Edmonton broke through in the final two minutes.
This week’s matchups also look manageable on paper, at least by early-season standards. Anaheim has already shown it can get into trouble after building a lead, as the Ducks held a 4-0 advantage at one point against the Vegas Golden Knights before hanging on for a 4-3 win.
They also beat the Florida Panthers in a lower-scoring game, but the shot totals told part of the story: Florida had a 31-20 edge, and Vegas outshot Anaheim 30-20. In that game against the Golden Knights, the Ducks managed just six shots on goal in the third period compared with 13 for Vegas.
San Jose has been more up and down. The Sharks have shown they can score, putting up nine goals across their first two games, but they were blanked 5-0 by the Dallas Stars in their most recent outing.
Through four games, they’ve allowed 12 goals. On top of that, Macklin Celebrini sustained a lower-body injury that kept him out of the game against Dallas.
For Edmonton, the bigger question this week may not be the scoring. It’s whether the goaltending and defensive play can keep pace.
Against Anaheim, the challenge is surviving any early push and making sure a late deficit doesn’t turn into a mess. Against San Jose, the Oilers will be looking for the kind of offensive night that can tilt the game their way quickly.
At the very least, Edmonton looks set up to split the two games. Both are the kind of revenge-tinged matchups that can bring extra energy, and the Oilers have enough punch up front to handle one of Anaheim or San Jose. There’s also a real chance they take both.
In Other News...
Oilers Trade Talks Are Heating Up Around One Hidden Target
Trade chatter around the Oilers has picked up again, and this time the focus is on a young forward who could give Edmonton some additional upside down the middle. TSN insider Darren Dreger reported that general manager Stan Bowman has been in detailed talks with an Eastern Conference club, with the organization also weighing its own crop of young players as it sorts through roster options.
The identity of the player has been kept quiet, which only adds to the sense that the discussions are delicate and getting serious. Dreger said the sides have been working on the deal for several weeks and that it could be close, a sign that Edmonton may be nearing a move that says as much about its long-term planning as it does about the immediate roster. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Make A Needed Depth Move As Injuries Keep Pressuring Forwards
The Oilers kept working to patch their forward group by dealing defenseman Spencer Stastney to the Penguins for Filip Hallander, a swap that fits a couple of pressing needs on both sides. Edmonton has been leaning hard on its roster depth as injuries continue to squeeze the forwards, while Pittsburgh gets a left-shot defenseman in a move that helps its own blue line picture.
Hallander has seen only limited NHL action with Pittsburgh this season, but Edmonton is clearly willing to take a look at another option who can help stabilize the middle and bottom of the lineup. For a team trying to stay afloat through the wear and tear of the early season, even a modest depth addition can matter, and this one gives the Oilers a little more flexibility as they wait on healthier bodies to return. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Just Made A Fringe Roster Move Worth Watching
The Oilers have made a small roster move that could end up being more interesting than it looks on the surface, swapping a defenseman for a forward in a deal with Pittsburgh. Edmonton sent Spencer Stastney to the Penguins and brought back Filip Hallander, with both clubs confirming the trade as the Oilers continue to tinker at the margins of the roster.
Stastney had made Edmontons opening-night roster, but he has not played in a game this season, which gives the move a little extra weight for a team always trying to balance depth now against flexibility later. Hallander arrives with his own career path and recent performance history, and for the Oilers the real question is whether this is simply a depth shuffle or the first sign of a broader look at how the bottom of the lineup is being shaped. [Read more 🡒]