4 Takeaways From Oilers’ 5-2 Preseason Win Against Jets

The Edmonton Oilers opened their 2026 preseason schedule on Saturday (Sept. 19), defeating the Winnipeg Jets by a score of 5-2 at Rogers Place.

Colton Dach, Leon Draisaitl, Alex Formenton, Connor McDavid and Ryan Shea each scored for the Oilers, while Winnipeg got one goal apiece from Parker Ford and Jacob Julien. Oilers blueliner Evan Bouchard had four assists.

Tristan Jarry and Matt Tomkins split goaltending duties for Edmonton, with the former making 15 saves on 16 shots over the first two frames, and the latter allowing one goal on five shots in the third period. Jets netminder Thomas Milic was beaten four times on 23 shots, with Edmonton’s fifth goal scored into an empty net.

Edmonton trailed 1-0 early, before scoring four consecutive goals to take a 4-1 lead into the second intermission.

Overall, the Oilers were very impressive, though that’s to be taken with a grain of salt considering it was Game 1 of the preseason. Here are four takeaways from Saturday’s exhibition at Rogers Place.

New Era of Preseason Hockey

The 5-2 score shouldn’t be surprising, considering that Edmonton dressed a largely veteran lineup, while the Jets’ lineup featured more prospects. The reverse will likely be the case when these teams renew acquaintances in Winnipeg on Tuesday (Sept. 22).

Nonetheless, it was novel to see superstars the likes of Bouchard, Draisaitl and McDavid playing in their team’s first exhibition game. Such is the upshot of the NHL’s newly shortened preseason schedule, which will see the Oilers play just four times, about half the number of games they’ve had in past preseasons.

Saturday’s game was also at a much higher calibre than what fans are used to seeing from the preseason opener. With just four opportunities to get ready for the season, teams can’t afford to coast through these games, and that urgency showed.

Formenton Impresses

There has been a tremendous amount of controversy around Formenton, who signed a one-year, $850,000 contract with Edmonton on Sept. 9.

Formenton was one of five former members of Canada’s 2018 World Juniors team who were charged with sexual assault and later acquitted following a 2025 trial. The 27-year-old winger has been out of the NHL since 2022 and spent three of the last four seasons playing pro in Switzerland.

Speaking only to his on-ice performance on Saturday, Formenton made a strong impression. The Barrie, Ont., native showed tremendous speed, which he deployed on no less than three breakaways, one which resulted in Edmonton’s fourth goal.

In 16:47 of ice time, Formenton fired four shots on goal and registered a pair of hits while looking like he hasn’t lost a beat since last playing in the NHL, with the Ottawa Senators over four years ago. He was named the game’s third star.

Another Strong Debut

Also turning heads in his Oilers debut was defenceman Shea, who signed a five-year, $20-million deal with Edmonton on July 1.

Paired with Bouchard, Shea notched Edmonton’s first goal at 6:58 of the opening period, and later added two assists. He finished the game with an impressive plus-4 rating in 22:31 of ice time and was named first star.

Shea is expected to be a strong addition to Edmonton’s blueline, particularly in killing penalties. What’s not as expected from him is an offensive upside, but he showed plenty of that on his goal, as he weaved around multiple defenders and walked into the slot where he ripped a shot under the arm of Milic.

Solid Performance From Jarry

The position with the most intrigue on the Oilers going into the 2026-27 season is between the pipes, where there will be competition for starts between Frederik Andersen, Jarry, and Devon Levi.

Jarry is the only of those three netminders who was a member of the Oilers last season. The veteran was acquired in a midseason trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins last December but struggled to provide consistent goaltending for his new team.  

All eyes are now on the 31-year-old to see if he can once again perform at the peak levels he reached earlier in his career with the Penguins, and in that respect, his play on Saturday was very encouraging.

Jarry didn’t have much chance on Winnipeg’s first goal, which Ford scored on an odd-man rush just 118 seconds into the game. But the Oilers goaltender locked it down from there, stopping the next 14 shots he faced, allowing his teammates to build a sizeable lead, before turning over duties to Tompkins.

Levi will likely get his first opportunity in the crease with the Oilers when they visit Canada Life Centre on Tuesday. Game time is 6 p.m. MDT.