The Edmonton Oilers gave the Calgary Flames a firm reminder this week, blanking them in one of their best performances of the season. That kind of result naturally brings the Battle of Alberta back into focus, but Calgary no longer sits near the top of Edmonton’s rivalry board the way it once did.
The Flames have been out of the race for a while, and the Vancouver Canucks are in a similar spot as a former foe that’s still working through a rebuild. If anything, the more interesting future matchups may come from teams like Seattle and San Jose.
The Kraken keep finding ways to win, while the Sharks have the kind of talent that could push them up the Pacific Division ladder. A playoff series between either club and Edmonton would go a long way toward turning those matchups into something real.
For now, though, here’s how the Oilers’ top seven rivals stack up.
#7. Minnesota Wild
Minnesota lands here because the games have long been difficult for Edmonton, even if there isn’t much playoff history between the two. Bill Guerin’s group has made life miserable for the Oilers for years with a hard-checking style, and the Wild have added more skill to the mix with players like Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Quinn Hughes (for now), Joel Eriksson-Ek, Brock Faber, and good goaltending. Under Mike Babcock’s leadership, the Oilers might be turning into a team better equipped to handle Minnesota, and they’ve already tamed the Wild once.
#6. Utah Mammoth
Utah has shot onto the list fast. It started when Jack McBain hit Leon Draisaitl from behind and Utah won that game, and it kept building when Edmonton crushed the Mammoth a couple of days later.
That sequence was enough to make it clear this one has some legs. If Utah keeps improving, the Oilers could be looking at a real long-term rivalry.
Dylan Guenther, Clayton Keller, Mikhail Sergachev, Nick Schmaltz, and Logan Cooley give them a solid core.
#5. Anaheim Ducks
There’s already a playoff connection here, and that matters. Edmonton and Anaheim have beaten each other in the postseason, and last season the Ducks eliminated the Oilers in the first round to reopen old wounds.
Anaheim is big, skilled, and well built to match up with Edmonton. Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Jackson Lacombe, and Bennett Sennecke give the Ducks a strong young base, and because of the age of their top players, they could be a headache for years.
#4. Dallas Stars
Dallas has given Edmonton plenty to think about even with the Oilers having the upper hand in the playoffs. The last time the Stars came into Rogers Place, they left with a 7-2 win, which says plenty about how dangerous they can be.
They’re big, skilled, and loaded with talent: Mikko Rantanen, Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson (for now), Jake Oettinger, Miko Heiskanen, and Wyatt Johnson. The Stars have also had their share of playoff frustration, and they’re eager to get the better of Edmonton and the rest of the contenders.
#3. Colorado Avalanche
Colorado’s place near the top is easy to understand. The Avalanche knocked the Oilers out of the playoffs in 2022, and fans in Northern Alberta haven’t let that one go.
McDavid vs. MacKinnon is the kind of headliner that sells itself, and Colorado’s roster is packed with impact names like Cale Makar, Martin Necas, Gabriel Landeskog, Nazim Kadri, and decent goaltending.
They play fast, they play hard, and they’ve had Edmonton’s number lately, winning three of the last four meetings, including a 9-1 humiliation in Rogers Place.
#2. Vegas Golden Knights
There’s no shortage of bad blood here. Vegas eliminated Edmonton in the 2023 playoffs, and the Oilers returned the favor in 2025.
The Golden Knights are loaded with Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, Mark Stone, Shea Theodore, and William Karlsson, and they’ve made themselves a constant problem for Edmonton. The tension didn’t stop there.
Vegas blocked Edmonton from interviewing Bruce Cassidy in the spring of 2026 even though Vegas had relieved him of his coaching duties, then accused Edmonton of leaking details about the Cassidy situation to the media. Oilers fans also haven’t forgotten that former Golden Knights captain Alex Pietrangelo was only suspended for one playoff game after a high, two-handed swing with his stick at Leon Draisaitl.
#1. Florida Panthers
Florida sits alone at the top. The Panthers beat Edmonton in the 2024 and 2025 Stanley Cup Finals, and that alone makes them the Oilers’ biggest rival right now.
They’re aggressive, talented, and packed with names Edmonton fans know all too well: Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, Radko Gudas, and Matthew Tkachuk. The roster also includes Brady Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Gustav Forsling, and Carter Verhaeghe.
A third Stanley Cup Final between these teams would be epic, and for McDavid and Draisaitl, it would be the most direct path to finally winning their first Cup by slaying the dragon.
In Other News...
Oilers Turn To Matt Tomkins In A Spot Fans Did Not Expect
The Oilers are turning to Matt Tomkins in a spot few would have circled on the calendar, with coach Mike Babcock saying the goaltender will make his Edmonton debut against the New York Rangers. Tomkins was brought up from AHL Bakersfield under emergency conditions after Devon Levi was placed on injured reserve, giving the organization an unexpected look at a depth option it had only recently added on a two-year, two-way deal.
Tomkins does bring prior NHL experience, but this is still a notable moment for a goalie who has spent much of his recent work in the minors and now gets thrown into a high-profile setting right away. For Edmonton, it is another reminder of how quickly the crease can change, and for Tomkins it is a chance to show he can handle a call that arrived far sooner than anyone around the team likely planned. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Stay Perfect On The Road In Another McDavid-Led Statement Win
The Oilers kept rolling away from home with a 3-1 win over the Rangers, a result that pushed them to 11-2-2 on the season and kept their road mark spotless at 7-0. Connor McDavid set the tone early with a goal and stretched his point streak to 15 games, while Evan Bouchard and Colton Dach added the kind of secondary scoring that has helped Edmonton keep finding answers even when the game tightens up.
There was also a notable subplot in net, where Matt Tomkins made his first start for Edmonton and handled the moment well, turning aside 28 of 29 shots. For a team already carrying momentum through the opening stretch, getting that kind of stability from an unfamiliar name only deepens the sense that the Oilers are building something sturdy as the schedule starts to test them more often. [Read more 🡒]
McDavids October Run Has Oilers Fans Eyeing Hockey History
Connor McDavids October has already pushed his name into a familiar conversation in Edmonton, the kind reserved for the sports rarest scorers and playmakers. He piled up 27 assists in the month, setting the NHL mark for assists in October while also establishing new Oilers franchise records for points and assists over the same stretch, a start that has naturally invited comparisons to the biggest early-season bursts in league history.
The company he is keeping is the point here, because the list now includes names like Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, with McDavids opening month landing among the most eye-catching runs the NHL has ever seen. For Oilers fans, the intrigue is not just what he has already done but how long this kind of pace can hold, and whether October will end up looking less like a hot streak and more like the beginning of something historic. [Read more 🡒]