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A deep dive into the Edmonton Oilers’ 2026-27 schedule

Photo credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

By Zach Laing

Jul 16, 2026, 15:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 16, 2026, 15:04 EDT

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Get those travel rewards points ready, hockey fans, because the National Hockey League released its 2026-27 schedule Thursday.

This year marks the first since the 1993-94 season in which the league played 84 games, and for NHL teams, that means after years of facing some division rivals four times a year and others three, there will be an even four games across the board.

Let’s dive into what the Edmonton Oilers’ schedule looks like.

zach

@zjlaing

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here's the oilers full 2026-27 schedule.

5:14 PM · Jul 16, 2026

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When is the Oilers’ 2026-27 season-opener?

Edmonton’s season starts at home on Tuesday, Sept. 29, kicking off a home-and-home series with the Vancouver Canucks, which will see the Oilers head west two nights later. It marks the earliest start to an Oilers season in franchise history.

All of the Oilers’ first six games of the season will be against the Pacific Division. Game 3 will see the Seattle Kraken visit Edmonton on Oct. 3, before the Oilers kick off a California road trip to visit the Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, and Los Angeles Kings between Oct. 7 and Oct. 13.

What are the longest road trips on the Oilers’ 2026-27 schedule?

The Oilers will have three extended road trips of five or more games, with their first coming in mid-November. It will be their annual trip up and down the Eastern Seaboard, visiting the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 14, the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 15, the Florida Panthers on Nov. 17, the Tampa Bay Lightning on Nov. 19, the Carolina Hurricanes on Nov. 21, and capping off against the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 22.

December will see the other two trips. Their first will run from Dec. 6 to Dec. 14, visiting the Chicago Blackhawks, Minnesota Wild, Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators, and Montreal Canadiens. The second, meanwhile, will kick off right after Christmas, with a Dec. 27 visit to the Columbus Blue Jackets, before facing the Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Nashville Predators. Games against the Red Wings and Penguins will be matinee games.

When are the Oilers’ longest homestands of the 2026-27 season?

While they will have three extended road trips, they’ll also have three extended homestands. The first will come in late October, beginning a five-game homestand against the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 20, before the Carolina Hurricanes, the Maple Leafs, the Red Wings, and capping off against the Calgary Flames on Oct. 28.

January and into February will be the other two. The Panthers visit Edmonton on Jan. 7, kicking off a six-game stand, before hosting the Islanders, Lightning, Sharks, and Blue Jackets, and finishing off against the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 17.

Lastly, their longest home stand of the season — an eight-gamer — runs from Jan. 28 to Feb. 22, hosting the New Jersey Devils, the Montreal Canadiens, the Vegas Golden Knights, the Blues, the Penguins, the Colorado Avalanche, the Bruins, and the Senators.

How many times will the Oilers play division rivals in 2026-27?

With the NHL expanding to 84 games, gone are the days of facing some division rivals four times, and others three times. This year, the Oilers will play each of their Pacific Division foes four times. Here’s a look at when those games occur.

zach

@zjlaing

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Replying to @zjlaing

here's a look at when the oilers face pacific division opponents this season.

5:55 PM · Jul 16, 2026

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When do the Oilers play matinee games this season?

The Oilers will play 10 matinee games during the 2026-27 season:

At San Jose – Oct. 10, 1 p.m. local.
At Islanders – Oct. 31, 3:30 p.m. local.
At Carolina – Nov. 21, 1 p.m. local.
vs. Utah – Dec. 19, 2:30 p.m. local.
At Detroit – Jan. 2, 1 p.m. local.
At Pittsburgh – Jan. 3, 3 p.m. local.
vs. Islanders – Jan. 9, 2:30 p.m. local.
At Dallas – Feb. 27, 2 p.m. local.
vs. Dallas – March 20, 1:30 p.m. local.
vs. Los Angeles – March 27, 1:30 p.m. local.

Who do the Oilers play in home-and-home series in 2026-27?

One interesting wrinkle in the schedule this year is that the Oilers will play four home-and-home series this season, kicking off with the season-opener against the Canucks.

They’ll also do so against the Mammoth, on Oct. 15 and Oct. 17, and the Kraken on Nov. 27 and Nov. 28. Both series will see the Oilers host the first game. Edmonton’s final two games of the season will be a home-and-home against the Jets, with the Oilers visiting Winnipeg on April 7, before hosting on April 10.

What other key dates are on the Oilers’ 2026-27 schedule?

Time zones will play an interesting factor, with Alberta creating Alberta Time, which will be considered the Mountain Daylight Time Zone. My colleague Michael Menzies covered how that could impact the Oilers in April. The United States House, meanwhile, passed a bill this week to make Daylight Saving Time permanent across the country. This will be a story to follow as the season approaches.
The Oilers will play 44 of 84 games (52.4 per cent) this season against non-playoff teams from last year. It’s a slight downtick from the 53.6 per cent in 2025-26, and up from the 50/50 split they had in 2024-25.
Edmonton will have just 10 back-to-backs this season, which is down from the 13 they had last season. That means more rest for the Oilers, which is never a bad thing.
Battles against the Western Conference will be hot and heavy early and late this season, once again. The Oilers’ first nine games of the year will be against them, and the last quarter of the season, 21 games, will be against Western Conference teams: 10 against Pacific Division teams, 11 against Central Division teams.
Every team in the NHL will play on the same day twice this year: Oct. 13 and April 10. The Oilers will visit the Kings on Oct. 13 and host the Jets on April 10.

Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor and The Nation Network’s news director. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.

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