The Edmonton Oilers lost 4-1 to the Seattle Kraken in NHL preseason action at Rogers Place on Wednesday (Sept. 24). With the loss, Edmonton sees its 2025 preseason record drop to 2-1-1, including 0-1-1 at home.
Andrew Mangiapane scored the lone goal for the Oilers. Seattle got one goal apiece from Jagger Firkus, Ben Meyers, Logan Morrison and Jani Nyman.
Stuart Skinner made 15 saves on 18 shots between the pipes for the Oilers. Seattle netminder Joey Daccord stopped all 16 shots he faced in the first two periods before being replaced by Nikke Kokko, who was beaten once on nine shots.
Stars Make Their Debut
Wednesday’s game marked the first preseason action for many of Edmonton’s top players, including superstar forwards Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, top defensive pairing Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm, as well as Skinner.
But while this game, unlike Edmonton’s first three outings of the 2025 preseason, had star power, it offered little in the way of excitement. The match lacked offence (there were only two goals scored in the first 49 minutes) and physicality (there were just 23 hits in the entire game from both teams combined), and just generally not a lot was going on. It was a typical NHL September snoozefest, the kind of exhibition that won’t be missed should the league reduce the preseason schedule next season.
Draisaitl and McDavid Team Up
Draisaitl (playing left wing) and McDavid (at centre) were on the same line Wednesday, along with Trent Frederic on right wing. While coach Kris Knoblauch will often play the Hart Memorial Trophy winners together over the course of a game, Draisaitl and McDavid rarely start the game as linemates, so this immediately got all of Edmonton talking.
“Guys, we’ve done this for 10 years, 11 years,” a clearly nonplussed Draisaitl said while speaking to media prior to the game. “It’s going to switch, it’s going to go back and forth. I do think it’s probably easier to coach for (Knoblauch) when we’re together, to coach the bench. But we’ve done this for so long now, we know exactly how to flip-flop back and forth, and if we’re together (or) apart. So yeah, obviously, (I’m) always excited to play with him. Obviously it’s a pleasure to be on the same line as him, so we’ll see where it goes.”
It turned out not to go very well at all. The Draisaitl-McDavid-Frederic trio were on the ice for all three of Seattle’s even-strength goals (including one into an empty net late in the third period), and they were held off the scoresheet.
Same Old Skinner
Wednesday provided the first look at the new-look Skinner. The 26-year-old goalie reportedly dropped 10-15 pounds during the offseason, getting in peak shape for 2025-26.
Unfortunately, he looked a bit too much like the old Skinner, recording an .833 save percentage in the game. While he didn’t get much help from his defensive corps, Skinner also didn’t come up with a big save. The backbreaker was Meyers’ goal, which came with 7:47 to play in the game, just over three minutes after Mangiapane had scored to cut Seattle’s lead to 2-1.
Related: 4 Reasons Oilers’ Goalie Stuart Skinner Will Have His Best Season in 2025–26
It was not an atypical performance from Skinner, who has shown he can be great, just not consistently. That said, this is September, not the Stanley Cup Final. The months ahead will prove if this version of Skinner is not only new but also improved.
Encouraging Game From Ekholm
One of the X-factors for the Oilers this season will be Ekholm, who is not only coming back after a torn abductor sidelined him for most of Edmonton’s run to the Stanley Cup Final last spring, but is also trying to stay a step ahead of Father Time.
Since being acquired via trade in 2023, Ekholm has been Edmonton’s best all-around defenceman, its most reliable rearguard, and the steady partner that’s needed for the offensively gifted but defensively suspect Bouchard. Suffice to say, his importance is immense.
But at age 35, Ekholm is the second-oldest player in Oilers training camp, and one can’t help but wonder how long he can continue to play at an elite level, especially if injuries are taking their toll.
That’s why it must be of great relief for the Oilers to see Ekholm appear on Wednesday like he’s back in prime form. The veteran Swede skated well, while logging a team-high 23:08 of ice time. Ekholm also led all players with four shots on goal. All in all, it was a very encouraging outing on a night when there wasn’t a ton for Edmonton fans to get excited about.
The Oilers are back in action on Friday (Sept. 26), when they continue their preseason schedule with a home game against the Winnipeg Jets.
