PRE-GAME REPORT: Oilers vs. Flyers

The Edmonton Oilers will open their 2026 schedule with a Saturday afternoon matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers at Rogers Place.

You can watch the game on Sportsnet at 1:30 pm MST or listen live on the Oilers Radio Network, including 880 CHED.

Subscribe to Oilers+ to unlock exclusive live and behind-the-scenes content from inside the locker room.

PRE-GAME REPORT: Oilers vs. Flyers

EDMONTON, AB – Starting 2026 with the injection of some youth into the lineup.

And there’s a good chance both will play on the same line with another rookie on Saturday afternoon.

Following massive individual months of December in the AHL, forwards Quinn Hutson and Isaac Howard will look to showcase their growth with the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday when they open up a new year on home ice at Rogers Place with an afternoon tilt against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Based on Friday’s line combinations and comments from Head Coach Kris Knoblauch after practice, both Hutson & Howard are expected to line up on the flanks of Matt Savoie – another NHL rookie who could get a look at centre between the two recent call-ups. Despite the trepidation of placing three relatively new faces in the NHL on a line together, Coach Knoblauch feels more inclined than ever to let the trio of rookies do their thing, considering the momentum that each of them has built in their games this season.

And you can guarantee Hutson and Howard are coming up with renewed confidence.

“I think it's important for me to give them opportunities to succeed, and whether that's offensive zone starts, line matching, or stuff like that just so they're not overwhelmed, there's a lot of positive encouragement for them to make plays,” Knoblauch said.

“There’ll be some reminders of what they need to be thinking about in the defensive side of the game, because I think those two coming from the American League, Hutson and Howard, are on top of their game right now, and we want to have them carry that into our game as much as possible.

“The NHL is different than the AHL, but they have a lot of confidence, and we want to let them play their game.”

Hutson and Howard were each awarded monthly AHL accolades during the month of December, along with earning their call-ups on Friday from the Bakersfield Condors, after Howard was named Player of the Month and Hutson took home honours as Rookie of the Month.

Howard led the AHL in scoring last month with 16 points (8G, 8A) in 11 games, including four three-point showings in his last six contests, to sit tied for fifth in rookie scoring with 23 points (10G, 13A) in 16 games despite starting the year with 17 NHL games in Edmonton.

“It's a great development league,” Howard said. “Obviously, I was getting a lot more ice time, a lot of looks on special team and things like that, which is great and what I wanted.”

The 21-year-old played a big role down in Bakersfield during his first AHL stint, where he learned to go with the “flow” of playing professional hockey in a learning environment that he thinks will help him adapt and thrive back at the NHL level.

“It feels different in a way,” he added. “I’m just way more in the flow of the season. I’ve played a lot of games now where it kind of feels like the call-up is different than my first NHL game. There's just less emotion. It feels more like another game, which I think is good. Just go out there and play hockey.

“I was still really excited, but it feels like I have more experience now and maybe more calmness coming back up.”

Hutson, who’s fresh off turning 24 years old on New Year’s Day, will be looking to build even more confidence with the Oilers during his second call-up after already picking up his first NHL goal against the Bruins last month, along with making the most of another impressive yet brief stint in the AHL.

Hutson leads the Condors and all AHL rookies in scoring this season with 32 points (19G, 13A) over 26 games – tied for fourth in league scoring race and third overall in goals – after he amassed 13 points (9G, 4A) in eight games in December with Bakersfield.

After only posting two goals and an assist in his first 10 AHL games, Hutson exploded for 17 goals and 12 assists over his next 16 contests, ultimately earning his first NHL call-up on Dec. 15 and recording his first NHL goal in a 3-1 win in Boston during his three-game stint.

“Just keep working hard,” Hutson said. “Obviously, I came to Edmonton for a reason. I think there's a path for me here, and maybe the path is moving faster than I thought, getting called up twice already, but I think keep going down there and working hard and not getting down on myself and stay confident.”

In the two games he played with Bakersfield following his return to the AHL, Howard posted back-to-back multi-point games against San Diego and Coachella Valley with three goals and an assist.

“Just playing the role I was playing, getting out there, and proving what I could do while playing a safe game, I think it showed, and now I’m back up here again,” Hutson said. “Just going to do the same thing and show that I can play.”

Both former NCAA standouts with Boston University and Michigan State are shoot-first players, and having the opportunity to play with another rookie in Savoie on Saturday is an exciting prospect after they both caught fire with another pass-first rookie down in Bakersfield in Josh Samanski, who hopes to be named to Germany’s Olympic Team in the coming days.

“Yeah, he's a shoot-first guy,” Howard said of Hutson. “He's great at getting open, and obviously, he's got a great release and shot that finds the back of the net a lot. He can make plays as well off the rush on three-on-twos and things like that,so it's been fun to play with him.”

“I think he's a great player,” Hutson responded. “He's super opportunistic. I think we're both pretty similar players. We go out there, and if they turn the puck over, we're going north every single time. We're getting pucks on net, recovering them, and I think we just play a fast, hard, quick game.”

As for the rest of the Oilers’ lineup, Coach Knoblauch will be hoping to have Vasily Podkolzin available after an illness for the Russian forced him to miss Friday’s practice, where Andrew Mangiapane filled in for him on the second line.

Knoblauch didn’t name either Calvin Pickard or Connor Ingram as the starter for Saturday’s tilt with the Flyers after Ingram was tagged for five goals on 26 shots in a New Year’s Eve defeat to the Boston Bruins.

The Flyers come into Rogers Place to close out their Western road trip after having lost the second of back-to-back games on New Year’s Eve against the Flames, falling 5-1 in Calgary following a 6-3 win the previous night in Vancouver.

Philadelphia currently sits third in the NHL’s Metropolitan Division with a 20-12-7 record, with Trevor Zegras leading them in scoring with 39 points (15 goals) in 39 games. The Oilers came away with a 2-1 overtime win in their last meeting on Nov. 12, where Jack Roslovic scored in overtime for the second straight game to give his side the extra point.