PREVIEW: Oilers vs. Canucks

The Edmonton Oilers begin the 2026-27 NHL season on Tuesday night against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Place.

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PREVIEW: Oilers vs. Canucks

EDMONTON, AB – Here... We... Go!

Set to drop the puck on another NHL season, the Edmonton Oilers are energized and geared up for another run at the Stanley Cup, beginning with Tuesday night's season opener at Rogers Place against the Vancouver Canucks.

"Just the excitement," Leon Draisaitl said. "The juices get flowing a little bit. Those parts are the exciting part of a new season, and you still feel like a little kid."

Over a training camp focused on acclimating players & staff under Head Coach Mike Babcock, the message of playing fast and responsibly took shape during a perfect 4-0-0 preseason for the Oilers, who outscored their opponents 14-5 and showed plenty of individual and collective growth in a new system built on giving everyone ownership.

With plenty more to come as the regular season gets rolling, players are settling into their roles and feel ready and excited to get the new campaign underway.

"I think we're still obviously working out the kinks and the timing, and with time, it'll just become more instinctual over constantly trying to figure out where you're going," Draisaitl said. "But I think we took some big steps over the preseason and we're excited for tomorrow."

JARRY STARTS IN GOAL

Coach Babcock will hand the starting duties for opening night to goaltender Tristan Jarry, the bench boss confirmed in his Monday media availability after practice.

Jarry made 40 saves on 42 shots over five periods of action in two pre-season victories against Winnipeg and Vancouver and looked sharp after a summer working with Goaltending Coach Peter Aubry focused on resetting from a tough finish in Edmonton.

"I thought he was solid in the two games he's played," Babcock said. "I thought he was way better night two when we were under siege when he played. He really worked hard in the offseason. He's really improved his conditioning. He's worked closely with Pete, and they seem to have a plan to stabilize his game. 

Anytime you have a tough year and those things happen in the National League, you always want to bounce back, and he's ready to do that."

The 31-year-old will open up the season in a tandem with Devon Levi, who was equally as strong in exhibition play with three goals allowed on 43 shots, giving the Oilers two solid options in between the pipes.

"We'll probably look ahead and go through the back-to-backs and understand who goes where, but we're just going to watch it," Babcock said.

MICHAELS MAKES IT OUT OF CAMP

You gotta 'Owen' it.

Forward Owen Michaels is poised to make his professional debut in Tuesday's home opener after winning a spot on the opening-night roster through opportunity and filling a need for Babcock's team coming out of camp.

A right-shot, Michaels impressed to earn a contract after winning an NCAA title with Western Michigan last season and has yet to play a professional game – let alone one in the NHL – but the 24-year-old has earned his place in the lineup on Tuesday after impressing with a two-way game that's valued by the coaching staff.

"He's played well. He really can skate," Babcock said. "If you look back at his career, he wasn't a big scorer, so he didn't hang his hat on that. So he had to be a two-way, effective player. He won a national championship, so he knows how to win, and he's in all the good clips.

"It wasn't like we had this plan that he was going to be here. He wasn't, but that's the great thing about plans: you get to change them."

Coach Babcock later added that forward Jason Dickinson won't be available for Tuesday's home opener, making Michaels' utility that much more valuable for the Oilers until the veteran centre can make a return from injury.