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The Day After -1.0: Big dogs bark as Oilers make light work of Jets

Photo credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images

By Zach Laing

Sep 20, 2026, 09:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 20, 2026, 00:08 EDT

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If you wanted any indication of Edmonton Oilers hockey being back, look no further than the team giving up a goal on the second shot against on Saturday night.

For the visiting Winnipeg Jets, who were surely excited to see their young squad get on the board first, that was about all they could get excited about, as from that point on, the Oilers took over the game, leading to a 5-2 win.

It was no surprise to see the Oilers run away with the game. After all, their top line featured Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Vasily Podkolzin, and the top defensive pairing saw Ryan Shea skating with Evan Bouchard. All but Podkolzin would end up with multi-point efforts.

It was Shea who got the Oilers on the board first, dangling around a forward in the offensive zone before firing a shot past Jets netminder Thomas Milic. Minutes later, McDavid would get on the board after carrying the puck around the back of the Jets’ net, throwing a puck in, and thanking whatever favourable bounce he got in front.

While Draisaitl would add a goal in the second period, as a snapshot from the point found twine, Edmonton would add another marker before the period was over. Bouchard would carry the puck from behind his net before looking up-ice, firing a careening pass off the far wall and right onto the stick of his old friend, Alex Formenton. The newest member of the Oilers would make no mistake, tucking home a puck on his backhand.

It’s not easy to draw much from early pre-season games, but there were some things worth noting.

The top line dominated their minutes, which should be the least surprising thing out there. But the remainder of the forward lines struggled. The second line of Formenton, Colton Dach, and Mathieu Joseph was the best of the rest, though, breaking even in shot attempts, and controlling 45.5 per cent of the expected goal share. The third line of Josh Samanski, Isaac Howard and Max Jones, as well as the fourth line of William Nicholl, Owen Michaels and Seth Griffith, each got outshot 4-1 at five-on-five. Not great.
The top penalty kill unit was made up of McDavid, Formenton, Shea, and Bouchard, and they outshot the Jets power play 1-0. There is speed to burn for Formenton, and we all know how quick McDavid can play, so this could be a very interesting unit to watch. They’ll force opposing teams to be more cautious, because one bounce the other way could quickly turn into a two-on-one for the Oilers.
Besides giving up the first goal on the second shot, Tristan Jarry looked solid for the Oilers. He played the first two periods, posting a .938 save percentage and saving .93 goals above expected, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Dach, for just the fourth time in his NHL career, played centre and looked the part. He went nine-for-15 (60 per cent) in the faceoff dot, and got a bit of time on both special teams.

Edmonton’s next pre-season action comes on Tuesday, when they hit the road to visit the Jets.

Zach Laing is Daily Faceoff Edmonton’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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Photoshop by Tom Kostiuk

Daily Faceoff Edmonton wants to hear from you, the reader, in our new weekly “Letters to the Editor” segment. Letters can be emailed to Daily Faceoff Edmonton’s managing editor Zach Laing (zach.laing@bettercollective.com), titled “Letters to the Editor.” Please include a letter up to 200 words, including your name and place of residence (city, town, province, or state). Your letters may be edited for length and/or clarity. Letters must be submitted by Sunday morning to be considered for that week’s edition.