PREVIEW: Oilers at Ducks

The Edmonton Oilers begin a three-game road trip in California on Wednesday with a visit to the Honda Center to face the Anaheim Ducks.

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PREVIEW: Oilers at Ducks

EDMONTON, AB – A chance to 'quack back' against a Pacific Division rival.

Hitting the road for their first extended road trip of the season, the Edmonton Oilers will open their three-game trek through California on Wednesday at Honda Center with their first rematch against the Anaheim Ducks since last year's first-round series.

The Oilers had an off day on Sunday that was followed by two straight days of practice this week after opening the season with three games in five days, to which they returned five of a possible six points (2-0-1) and are looking to keep dialing in the defensive details under Head Coach Mike Babcock and keep the momentum rolling.

For the Oilers, returning to Anaheim on Wednesday for the first time since April's loss will bring some extra animosity for the players who lost to the Ducks in 2025-26. The two rivals will face one another four times this campaign, but more than two points will be on the line in this early encounter that could set the tone for the season series.

"It's something we did not finish last year," forward Vasily Podkolzin said. "We're lucky that we got four games in a regular season against them, and hopefully, we'll play them again in the playoffs. They're competitive guys, and I like to play against them.  They always compete, and we kind of hate each other after those playoffs, so that's why we are excited to play against them."

DEEPER DIVE ON THE DUCKS

The Ducks closed out the Oilers in six games last season with the help of their young & able roster, which broke out in a big way before the team made headlines this past summer with the offer sheets & signings of long-term extensions for Leo Carlsson (5 years, $18 million AAV) and Cutter Gauthier (six years, $13.5 million AAV). 

Defenceman Tristan Luneau put pen to paper on a six-year contract ($7.2 million AAV) despite only 14 games of NHL experience before signing long-term Thursday, signalling their intent to let the blueliner grow into his contract and that the Ducks will continue to lean on youth to solidify themselves among the Pacific Division's elite teams.

Gauthier had two power-play goals & an assist in a 3-2 overtime win over the Panthers on Sunday, while Carlsson factored in with three assists, including the secondary helper on Mikael Granlund's game-winner with 47 seconds left in sudden death.

The Ducks went 2-for-4 on the power play and still have room for improvement, having ranked 23rd in the NHL last season (18.6 percent) after owning the league's worst power-play efficiency in 2024-25 at 11.8 percent.

"We want to get better than what we did last year," Quenneville said. "I thought we made a big move in the numbers last year, from the prior year, and moving at that rate again this year, numbers-wise, percentage-wise, should put us in a better place."

Granlund's winner came after Brad Marchand marked his return to the lineup with the tying goal with Florida's net empty in the final two minutes, but the Ducks came through when they needed to to earn an important confidence-building win.

Luneau clocked huge minutes from the Anaheim back end with 26:36 of ice time, trailing only Jackson LaCombe at 28:41, showing the stock they put in the rookie to hand him such a monstrous contract at only 22 years old.

"We played a man's team tonight, and a man's game," Anaheim Head Coach Joel Quenneville said. "They know how to win. They know it doesn't stop, and it's 60 minutes of pushing and shoving. You don't have to be fancy sometimes, just a little protecting of the puck and they're getting it out of the zone, or in deep, or blocking a shot. All the little things add up, and they know how to win, and that's why it was such a big win."

BABCOCK ON BETWEEN THE PIPES

The Oilers bench boss clarified Tuesday that Devon Levi will start Wednesday against the Ducks, with Tristan Jarry getting the nod on Saturday against the Sharks.

Babcock still has to decide who faces the Kings next Tuesday in Los Angeles, but said that he's enjoyed the pace and preparation from his team through the first few weeks of the season as they head south to warmer climates in California.

"You get to look at what you did, and then you try to improve on things," Babcock said of the extra practice time. "A good off day on Sunday. We played three games in five days.  It's the start of the year, so freshen yourself up and get ready to go."

"I hear it's warm in California."

Babcock is also hopeful that centre Jason Dickinson can return to the lineup when the road trip begins on Wednesday after the veteran centre put together a pair of strong practices prior to the team's flight to Anaheim.

QUICK FACTS

• The Oilers earned both of their regular-season wins over the Ducks last season on home ice, while dropping their only game in Anaheim before falling in six games during their first-round playoff series.
• Edmonton has earned at least a point in 15 of their last 20 regular-season games against the Ducks, going 14-5-1 over that span.
• Connor McDavid has recorded four straight regular-season multi-point games against the Ducks (3G, 6A) and has points in 18 of his last 19 regular-season games (14G, 30A), including 16 multi-point games, and points in 27 of their last 29 meetings (18G, 43A).
• Leon Draisaitl has recorded seven multi-point games over his last 9 regular season games against the Ducks (7G, 11A).
• Evan Bouchard has recorded at least a point in 11 straight regular season games against the Ducks (2G, 13A).
  Mattias Ekholm notched his first career hat trick on Jan. 26, 2026 vs. the Ducks and has six points (3G, 3A) over his last 4 regular season games against them.