After a few years hiatus, the Oilers and Flames have returned to playing two preseason games on the same night. One in each city.
Preseason split squads.

Nothing sounds sweeter, when you are trying to get through an arduous eight-game preseason schedule.

Last night’s Jets/Oilers preseason roster illustrated why the Oilers playing eight preseason games is overkill. There should be six games maximum, and it might only be four games if the NHL and NHLPA agree to expand the regular season to 84 games to start the 2026-27 season.

Until that happens, the Oilers will play eight preseason games and tonight knocks off two of them.

The rosters will be very different in each city. The Oilers home roster will consist of many of their top players including Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Their road roster will have a roster similar to last night, but with a few more veterans up front.

We do know the following Oilers veterans won’t play in either game. Stuart Skinner, Darnell Nurse, Brett Kulak, Connor Brown, Mattias Janmark and Ty Emberson won’t play. James Hamblin also gets the night off. Look for Kulak, Brown, Janmark, Hamblin and Emberson to play in Winnipeg on Wednesday.

Noah Philp and Raphael Lavoie will both play again tonight, as they try to make an impression and crack the NHL roster.

Philp had a solid game last night. He was dominant in the faceoff circle going winning nine of 12 faceoffs. He went 5-1 v. Dominic Toninato and 2-0 v. Rasmus Kupari, two players with a combined 350 games of NHL experience.

Lavoie scored on a power play one timer, had a team-high four shots and was physical on the forecheck, and if he is going to make the team out of camp it will need to be from his 5×5 play. He isn’t going to be on the Oilers powerplay in the regular season and he’s aware what he needs to do. “Try to bring something to the table,” said Lavoie. “I was trying to be more physical, finish your checks on the forecheck. Be reliable on the wall, and break pucks out and when you have the chance to contribute offensively you do that as well, but I have to bring something else other than offence. They (coaches) know I can shoot the puck. They want me to be physical and do all the little things that will help me contribute.”

Lavoie played seven NHL games last year. He feels much more confident he can play in this league and he and Philp, along with Lane Pederson and James Hamblin will get lots of opportunities this week in games to get the coach’s attention. For Lavoie, Hamblin and Pederson, it is also about showing other teams what they have, in case they are put on waivers. Lavoie will get a chance to play with Leon Draisaitl tonight, so not only should he get some shooting opportunities, but he can show how he forechecks and cycles the puck with a skilled player.

Philp is waiver exempt, and didn’t play last season, so him starting in the AHL could be more likely, but in his second half of the 2023 season he impressed many people in the organization. They were hoping he could come to camp last year and compete for an NHL job. A year later he is here, and Philp will get his second chance, tonight in Edmonton, to get noticed.

RNH – McDavid – Hyman
Podkolzin – Draisaitl – Lavoie
Petrov – Philp – Perry
Clattenburg – Wakely – Griffith

Ekholm – Bouchard
Hoefenmayer – Kemp
Corcoran – Kannok – Leipert

Pickard
Brochu

Lavoie and Podkolzin get a great opportunity. We know neither is going to start with Draisaitl in the regular season, barring injury, but I like Knoblauch giving Lavoie one game with a proven NHL offensive player. Both Lavoie and Podkolzin can really shoot the puck, and if one of the top four wingers gets banged up, those two are the next best pure shooters among right and left wingers.

Petrov and the Oilers are hoping he takes a step in his second AHL season. He’s only 21, so there is no rush, but he’s filled out and looks a lot stronger.

Interesting to note that Stuart Skinner and won’t dress in either game. Which means he will have five preseason games to get ready for the regular season. Will he play in Winnipeg or just wait until this Saturday’s home game.

Huberdeau – Pospisil – Mantha
Ciona – Rooney – Duehr
Honzek – Kirkland – Coronato
Bishop – Lipinski – Misa/Battaglia

Tinordi – Andersson
Jurmo – Brzustewicz
Kuznetsov – Mews

Cooley
Murphy

Anthony Mantha is one of the new Flames, and it will be interesting to see if he can build off his 23-goal season last year split between Washington and Vegas. He already had three 20+ goal campaigns, and he has been on pace for 20+ in other season that were cut short due to COVID or injury.

It seems like the Flames and Oilers both agreed to send some of their top-six forwards on the road, as Huberdeau and Mantha are in Edmonton, while Jeff Skinner, Adam Henrique and Viktor Arvidsson are in Calgary. It shows some respect to fans who are paying to go to the games. Smart decision.

J. Skinner – Henrique – Arvidsson
Savoie – O’Reilly – Caggiula
Hoffman – Pederson – Ryan
Stefan – Grubbe – Weatherby

Dermott – Brown
Dineen – Stecher
Gleason – Wanner

Delia
Day

Zary – Backlund – Coleman
Sharangovich – Kadri – Kuzmenko
Lomberg – Schwindt – Klapka
Stromgren – Morton – Basha

Weegar – Miromanov
Solovyov – Barrie
Grushnikov – Hanley

Vladar
Ignatew

GAME DAY PREDICTION: Home teams both win. Edmonton wins 5-2 while Calgary wins 3-2.

OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: Draisaitl sets up Lavoie and Podkolzin for some good looks and the one who scores will have Oilers fans pondering their spot in the lineup.

NOT-SO-OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: Evan Bouchard scores his first preseason goal in the past four seasons. Another example of why you shouldn’t get too worked up over preseason results.