The NHL is back, hockey fans.

While Edmonton Oilers fans got a taster of pre-pre-season action when the team’s rookies walloped the Calgary Flames’ rookies 6-1 earlier in the week, Saturday’s affair against the Winnipeg Jets will be much different. We’ll finally get some NHL players in the mix, going up against other NHL players, giving Mike Babcock and his coaching staff a chance to have something tangible to chew on.

“I want us to take care of the puck, I want us to play with detail, I want us to work,” said Babcock on Saturday. “Is that a reasonable expectation for your first exhibition game? I don’t know, but that’s what we’re trying to do.”

The lineups between the Oilers and Jets have quite a different look to them. Edmonton will have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on the top line alongside Vasily Podkolzin, a trio that has skated together since the team kicked off captains’ skates earlier this month. The top pairing will see newcomer Ryan Shea alongside Evan Bouchard, while Tristan Jarry is set to get the start.

From there, the group is largely players fighting for position. Alex Formenton, Colton Dach, and Mathieu Joseph will form the second line, as a trio that could be the Oilers’ fourth line on opening night. Spencer Stastney and Ty Emberson make the second defensive pairing, and both are the two players who could be on the outside looking in, based on the training camp lines we saw Thursday.

The Jets, meanwhile, are bringing a roster teeming with youth to Edmonton in what will likely be a wake-up call for those yet to cut their teeth. This year’s eighth overall pick, 5-foot-9 Viggo Björck will centre their top line.

But when it comes to the Oilers, Babcock sees the Dynamic Duo setting the tempo for the game.

“Those guys got to do things right, and if they do things right, everyone else will do things right,” said Babcock. “They’re the most important people to do things without the puck that we need.

“Now they’re going to play their game, but they have to play with detail without the puck, and so that’s their focus for sure. Then the second part is to find depth. We need depth in the organization, so we don’t have to play those guys too much. So that’s my job: find it.”

Time to get to work, Babs.

Draisaitl – McDavid – Podkolzin
Formenton – Dach – Joseph
Jones – Samanski – Howard
Nicholl – Michaels – Griffith

Shea – Bouchard
Stastney – Emberson
Stillman – Brown

Jarry

The bottom six will be worth keeping an eye on. Samanski, Jones and Howard are all fighting for a roster spot, though the latter of the three has the inside track. Howard skated with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman on Thursday in camp, but it’s clear the Oilers want to see him in action sooner rather than later.  The fourth line of William Nicholl, Owen Michaels, and Seth Griffith could play together in Bakersfield this season, so having them together makes some sense.

Rosen-Björck-Lambert
He-Yager-Ford
Chibrikov-Zhilkin-Gregor
Barlow-Julien-Wahlin

Fleury-St. Ivany
Thrun-Bauer
Phillips-Gustafsson

Milic

Winnipeg’s forward group is largely devoid of NHL experience, with Noah Gregor’s 330 games far and away the most. Their centres have a combined nine NHL games, six for Zhilkin and three for Yager. They do bring a blue line that does have games under their belt, however. Fleury has played 345 games, Thrun 123, St. Ivany 53 and Phillips 59. It feels as though they’ll have their work cut out for them, though.

Game Day Prediction: The Oilers end up on the right side, in a 5-1 win.

Obvious Game Day Prediction: McDavid and Draisaitl each score two points.

Not-So-Obvious Game Day Prediction: Isaac Howard scores, impressing the coaching staff, and getting an early start to securing a spot in the Oilers’ top-nine.

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.