3 Takeaways From Oilers’ 4-1 Preseason Win Against Flames

The Edmonton Oilers wrapped up their 2026 NHL preseason schedule with a 4-1 victory over their provincial rival Calgary Flames on Saturday (Sept. 26) at Rogers Place.

Zach Hyman, Kasperi Kapanen, Connor McDavid and Ryan Shea each scored for the Oilers, while Calgary got its lone goal from forward Matt Coronato.

Edmonton’s Devon Levi stopped 23 of 24 shots in a winning effort between the pipes. Flames netminder Dustin Wolf was beaten four times on 28 shots.

The Oilers converted their only power-play opportunity, while Calgary went 1-for-3 with the man advantage.

Edmonton led 1-0 after the first period and 3-0 through 40 minutes, as the Oilers rolled to their fourth win in as many games. This is the first time in their NHL history that Edmonton has posted a perfect preseason record.

Another Complete Effort by the Oilers

The Oilers were the better team in pretty much every aspect on Saturday. They even dominated the one area that has been perhaps their biggest weakness earlier in the preseason, the faceoff circle, winning 61.4% of the draws versus Calgary.

This was another complete effort from the Oilers, who have been doing all the little things throughout the postseason. Whether dressing a lineup of veterans, as was the case against Calgary, or icing a glorified American Hockey League (AHL) squad, as Edmonton did in a 2-1 victory over the host Vancouver Canucks on Thursday (Sept. 24), the team’s structure and attention to detail have been quite impressive by September standards.

Saturday was Edmonton’s third straight game giving up only one goal, and the Oilers finished the preseason allowing just five goals total. While it’s true that the Oilers didn’t face the stiffest competition, with all four preseason games coming against teams that missed the playoffs in 2025-26, they’ve played mistake-free hockey and greatly limited opportunities for the opposition.

It’s hard not to give some credit to head coach Mike Babcock. The Oilers seem to be responding tremendously to the new coach’s methodology and have treated the preseason more seriously than in years past.

Power Play Picks Back Up

Edmonton’s top power-play unit, which was absolutely spectacular in 2025-26, needed just 23 seconds together with the man advantage on Saturday before scoring.

On the Oilers’ lone power-play opportunity, late in the first period, Leon Draisaitl won the draw, got the puck in Calgary’s zone, where defenceman Evan Bouchard fed McDavid, who accelerated to the side of the net and made a centring pass to Hyman in the slot, setting up the winger to put the puck past Wolf for a 1-0 Edmonton lead.

This was the first – and as it turned out only – time in the preseason that Bouchard, Draisaitl, Hyman and McDavid were on the ice at the same time during a power-play, and they looked as potent as ever.

It was a reminder that, while a lot of things might be different in Edmonton under Babcock, the Oilers’ power play, which ranked first in the NHL at a rate of 30.6% last season, will continue to be a great strength.

Kapanen Goals Caps Off Victory

Kapanen got moved up from Edmonton’s third line to the second alongside Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, taking the place of Isaac Howard.

The promotion paid off, as Kapanen scored Edmonton’s fourth goal, using his speed to catch up with an outlet pass from Nugent-Hopkins before sliding the puck past Wolf midway through the third period. The winger finished with two points and a plus-2 rating in 15:31 of ice time.

When asked about the move during his post-game media availability, Babcock said that Kapanen had been Edmonton’s best player in practice on Friday.

With injured forward Matthew Savoie expected to miss the early part of the regular season, Kapanen may have just secured himself a spot on Edmonton’s second line when the Oilers open their 2026-27 regular season schedule at home against Vancouver on Tuesday (Sept. 28). Game time is 8 p.m. MDT.