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Instant Reaction: Evan Bouchard’s four points lead Oilers to 5-2 pre-season win over Jets

Photo credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images

By Ryley Delaney

Sep 19, 2026, 22:45 EDTUpdated: Sep 19, 2026, 22:54 EDT

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It may be pre-season, but the Edmonton Oilers look pretty darn good.

On Saturday evening, the Oilers played their first of four pre-season games, defeating the Winnipeg Jets 5-2. This win came after a 6-1 victory in the NextGen game earlier this week against Calgary Flames prospects. Let’s take a look at what went on in this one!

The Jets struck first, scoring the game’s opening goal two minutes into the game. Max Jones was unable to keep the puck in the zone, leading to an odd-man rush. Parker Ford snuck in on the weak side, receiving a pass and tapping it past Tristan Jarry for a 1-0 lead.

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Fordo wasting NO TIME ✈️🚨

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12:15 AM · Sep 20, 2026

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That lead lasted five minutes. About seven minutes into the first, Ryan Shea received a pass at the point, faked a shot, deked out his defender, and ripped it past the Jets’ netminder for his first goal in orange and blue. He had a strong game.

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Shea smooth as butter 🧈 #LetsGoOilers

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12:26 AM · Sep 20, 2026

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Less than three minutes later, the Oilers took the lead, one that they never relinquished. Captain Connor McDavid took the puck around the world, attempting to pass in front of the net after coming around it. While he didn’t find an Oiler, the puck took a fortunate bounce off a Jet and into the back of the net.

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Sneaky Davo 😏 #LetsGoOilers

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12:38 AM · Sep 20, 2026

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That was all of the scoring for the first period, but the Oilers got on the board about 12 minutes into the middle frame. After sustained zone time, Leon Draisaitl let go a floating wrister from the point, surprising the Jets’ netminder and finding the back of the net for his first pre-season goal. Alex Formenton added a goal about two and a half minutes later.

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Leo lob 🤩 #LetsGoOilers

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1:24 AM · Sep 20, 2026

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What are the key takeaways from the Oilers’ pre-season win over the Jets?

Evan Bouchard may be a little angry that he didn’t finish as a finalist for the Norris Trophy last season. He picked up an assist on four of the five goals that the Oilers scored, finishing as a plus-four. He also totalled a game-high 25:09 of ice time.

Since the 2023 trade deadline, Bouchard has spent the majority of his five-on-five action with Mattias Ekholm. But with the Swede scratched for this game, his partner was Ryan Shea. As expected, Shea also had a strong game, scoring a nice goal and picking up two assists. Could this be the Oilers’ top defence pairing to begin the season?

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were each a plus-four as well. Last season, they usually played upwards of 20-plus minutes a game, but they only played 19:13 and 19:11, respectively. Still the most for any Oiler forward, but an encouraging sign. Paired with Vasily Podkolzin, that was easily the Oilers’ best line.

Tristan Jarry started this game and had a solid outing. Playing two periods, the netminder stopped 15 of 16 shots for a .938 save percentage. He didn’t have much of a chance on the first goal either. It was another positive sign for this team.

Next up for the Oilers is another matchup against the Jets, as the two Canadian teams meet in Winnipeg on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. MT.

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for DFOEdmonton, DFOCalgary, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on X at @Ryley__Delaney.

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