Early look The full preview opens on Wednesday 3 March, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Chicago Blackhawks at Edmonton Oilers: game preview

Puck drop6 Mar · 10:00 PM ET
VenueRogers Place
All-time meetings184 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Twenty-one points apart last season

Chicago finished last season 31st in the league on 72 points. Edmonton finished 14th on 93.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 185

Across 184 completed games, Edmonton lead the head-to-head 93-78-13.

All-time record93-78-13Edmonton's record in the series
Meetings played184This is number 185
2025-26 series—
Last 55-0Edmonton
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
2 Apr 2026CHI 1 – EDM 3——EDM
12 Jan 2026EDM 4 – CHI 1——EDM
1 Nov 2025CHI 2 – EDM 3 OT——EDM
5 Feb 2025EDM 4 – CHI 3 OT——EDM
11 Jan 2025EDM 4 – CHI 3——EDM
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateChicagoEdmonton
1 Nov 20255-4-3 · 13 pts23rd6-4-3 · 15 pts10th
12 Jan 202619-20-7 · 45 pts28th23-16-7 · 53 pts11th
2 Apr 202627-35-14 · 68 pts31st39-28-9 · 87 pts15th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 1 Nov 2025, Chicago were 23rd in the league and Edmonton 10th. By 2 Apr 2026 it was 31st and 15th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Edmonton out-attempted Chicago 197 to 178

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Chicago Blackhawks

178 att · 77 on goal · 4 G · 5.2%
Crease11 att · 1 G
Slot72 att · 3 G
Wing69 att · 0 G
Point23 att · 0 G
Neutral zone3 att · 0 G

Edmonton Oilers

197 att · 106 on goal · 10 G · 9.4%
Crease23 att · 4 G
Slot85 att · 3 G
Wing60 att · 2 G
Point24 att · 0 G
Neutral zone5 att · 1 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Edmonton have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

ChicagoEdmonton
2.41xG for per game3.31
3.83xG against per game2.10
38.7%xG share61.2%
−0.7FinishingGoals minus expected goals+7.1
−1.7GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−7.7

This season: 4 games for Chicago, 3 for Edmonton. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Chicago

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2711.1%
Power play · 2025-2616.9% · 29th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2763.6%
Penalty kill · 2025-2683.6% · 2nd
Faceoffs · 2026-2742.1% · 99/235
Drawn · 2026-279 (2.25/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2711 (2.75/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Edmonton

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2725.0%
Power play · 2025-2630.6% · 1st
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2757.1%
Penalty kill · 2025-2677.8% · 20th
Faceoffs · 2026-2751.7% · 91/176
Drawn · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-277 (2.33/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
16Anton Frondell41341.00
59Tyler Bertuzzi41120.50
91Frank Nazar41120.50
97Connor McDavid32793.00
29Leon Draisaitl33251.67
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
72Alex Vlasic40220.50
6Sam Rinzel31010.33
44Wyatt Kaiser40110.25
2Evan Bouchard34482.67
6Ryan Shea31231.00
14Mattias Ekholm30000.00
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 5 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 3 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Chicago crease

CHI · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 3 Mar

Spencer Knight.8913 GP · 1-2-0 · GSAx +0.5
Arvid Soderblom.8131 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −2.0

No appearances against Edmonton in the last meetings.

Edmonton crease

EDM · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 3 Mar

Devon Levi.8102 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx −3.6
Tristan Jarry.7391 GP · 0-0-1 · GSAx −4.1

No appearances against Chicago in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.7 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

2 Apr 20264 · CHI 1–3 EDM
12 Jan 20265 · EDM 4–1 CHI
1 Nov 20255 · CHI 2–3 EDM
5 Feb 20257 · EDM 4–3 CHI
11 Jan 20257 · EDM 4–3 CHI

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Chicago2.254.252.603.35
Edmonton5.674.673.443.28

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.7Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings5.6Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

12 on the injury lists

Chicago · injuries

Andrew MangiapaneLower BodyOutReturn25 Oct
Connor BedardShoulderIRReturn7 Nov
Teuvo TeravainenUndisclosedOutReturn10 Oct

Edmonton · injuries

Alec RegulaUndisclosedIRReturn24 Oct
Atro LeppanenUndisclosedIRReturn17 Oct
Frederik AndersenKneeIRReturn30 Dec
James StefanUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
Jason DickinsonFootIRReturn7 Oct
Matt SavoieLower BodyIRReturn24 Nov
Mattias JanmarkUndisclosedIRReturn15 Oct
Ryan Nugent-HopkinsLower BodyIRReturn13 Oct
Zach HymanUndisclosedOutReturn17 Oct
3 Oct · CHI

Assigned D Charles Alexis Legault to Chicago (AHL).

24 Sep · CHI

Agreed to terms with F Oliver Moore on a five-year contract extension. Loaned Fs Jiri felcman, Martin Misiak and Marek Vanacker and D Dylan Anhorn to Rockford (AHL). Assigned F Brett Seney to Rockford.

21 Sep · CHI

Placed D Derrick Pouliot on waivers.

1 Oct · EDM

Placed F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on injured reserve. Placed D Alec Regula on long-term injured reserve. Recalled F Josh Samanski under emergency conditions.

27 Sep · EDM

Placed G Matt Tomkins on waivers for the purpose of assignment to Bakersfield (AHL).

25 Sep · EDM

Loaned D Tomas Cibulka, Fs Connor Clattenburg, Quinn Hutson, Viljami Marjala, William Nicholl and Aku Raty and G Connor Ungar to Bakersfield (AHL). Waived for the purpose of assignment to Bakersfield Ds Josh Brown and Riley Stillman and F Eduards Tralmaks.

Injury report
#34Xavier VilleneuveRound 2 · Blainville-boisbriandD
#35Ryan RoobroeckRound 2 · NiagaraLW
#66Samu AlalauriRound 3 · Pelicans Jr.D
#194Alexander IvanovRound 7 · Bars KazanD
Full draft
#58Rudolfs BerzkalnsRound 2 · MuskegonC
#84Malcom GastrinRound 3 · Modo Jr.LW
#133Andrew RobinsonRound 5 · WindsorD
#180Caden HarveyRound 6 · WindsorC
Full draft

Updated after every final