The NHL has released the pre-season schedule for all 32 teams and we’ve now got our first look at when NHL hockey will return.
It kicks off on Sept. 21, 2024 with the Buffalo Sabres hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Dallas Stars hosting the St. Louis Blues and the Winnipeg Jets hosting the Minnesota Wild.
For the Oilers, however, their pre-season begins a day later, hosting the Jets on the 22nd at 4 p.m. MST. They then play a split-squad game against the Calgary Flames on the 23rd, with games in Edmonton and Calgary a 7 p.m. MST, marking the only pre-season game(s) against them this year.
Their full schedule will see the team play in eight games. Here’s a look at the full pre-season schedule for the Oilers:
- Sept. 22 – Winnipeg at Edmonton, 4 p.m. MST
- Sept. 23 – Calgary at Edmonton (split-squad), 7 p.m. MST
Sept. 23 – Edmonton at Calgary (split-squad), 7 p.m. MST - Sept. 25 – Edmonton at Winnipeg, 6 p.m. MST
- Sept. 28 – Seattle at Edmonton, 7 p.m. MST
- Sept. 30 – Vancouver at Edmonton, 7 p.m. MST
- Oct. 2 – Edmonton at Seattle, 8 p.m. MST
- Oct. 4 – Edmonton at Vancouver, 8 p.m. MST
While the Oilers regular season begins on Oct. 9, the annual Young Stars Classic begins on Sept. 13th.
It goes without saying that the pre-season for any team is important, but for these Oilers, it’s going to carry a bit more weight. Not only do they have a number of new players to find homes in the lineup, but it also marks Kris Knoblauch’s first training camp with the team.
Hired last November to take over for the embattled Jay Woodcroft, Knoblauch didn’t have much time to introduce his own systems. Instead, he, Paul Coffey and co. tweaked things that were already in place, and it goes without saying the success they had helping push the Oilers to one of the best teams in the entire league. They advanced through the playoffs to the Stanley Cup Finals for the franchise’s first trip there since 2006, and found ways to motivate their players to hit another level. Knoblauch’s impact on the team has been significant, and now, he’s going to get a chance to put his own mark on things.
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.
