Early look The full preview opens on Friday 12 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

Edmonton Oilers at Colorado Avalanche: game preview

Puck drop15 Mar · 9:30 PM ET
VenueBall Arena
All-time meetings159 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Twenty-eight points apart last season

Edmonton finished last season 14th in the league on 93 points. Colorado finished 1st on 121.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 160

Across 159 completed games, Colorado lead the head-to-head 93-57-9.

All-time record93-57-9Colorado's record in the series
Meetings played159This is number 160
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Colorado
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
13 Apr 2026COL 2 – EDM 1 SO——COL
10 Mar 2026EDM 4 – COL 3——EDM
8 Nov 2025COL 9 – EDM 1——COL
7 Feb 2025COL 5 – EDM 4——COL
16 Jan 2025EDM 4 – COL 3——EDM
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateEdmontonColorado
8 Nov 20256-6-4 · 16 pts24th9-1-5 · 23 pts1st
10 Mar 202632-25-8 · 72 pts16th43-11-9 · 95 pts1st
13 Apr 202640-30-11 · 91 pts16th53-16-11 · 117 pts1st

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 8 Nov 2025, Edmonton were 24th in the league and Colorado 1st. By 13 Apr 2026 it was 16th and 1st.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Colorado out-attempted Edmonton 213 to 161

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

Edmonton Oilers

161 att · 79 on goal · 6 G · 7.6%
Crease19 att · 1 G
Slot52 att · 3 G
Wing71 att · 2 G
Point13 att · 0 G
Neutral zone6 att · 0 G

Colorado Avalanche

213 att · 96 on goal · 13 G · 13.5%
Crease20 att · 2 G
Slot101 att · 6 G
Wing63 att · 4 G
Point27 att · 1 G
Neutral zone2 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Colorado 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.

EdmontonColorado
3.31xG for per game3.16
2.10xG against per game2.55
61.2%xG share55.4%
+7.1FinishingGoals minus expected goals+7.7
−7.7GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+0.1

This season: 3 games for Edmonton, 2 for Colorado. 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

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

Colorado

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2744.4%
Power play · 2025-2617.1% · 27th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-27100.0%
Penalty kill · 2025-2684.6% · 1st
Faceoffs · 2026-2746.8% · 58/124
Drawn · 2026-279 (4.50/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-276 (3.00/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
97Connor McDavid32793.00
29Leon Draisaitl33251.67
88Martin Necas22242.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
2Evan Bouchard34482.67
6Ryan Shea31231.00
14Mattias Ekholm30000.00
42Josh Manson21231.50
8Cale Makar21231.50
7Devon Toews20221.00
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 13 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 13 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Edmonton crease

EDM · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 12 Mar

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

No appearances against Colorado in the last meetings.

Colorado crease

COL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 12 Mar

Mackenzie Blackwood.9122 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx +0.1

No appearances against Edmonton in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.9 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

13 Apr 20263 · COL 2–1 EDM
10 Mar 20267 · EDM 4–3 COL
8 Nov 202510 · COL 9–1 EDM
7 Feb 20259 · COL 5–4 EDM
16 Jan 20257 · EDM 4–3 COL

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Edmonton5.674.673.443.28
Colorado7.002.503.682.48

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 suggest6.9Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings7.2Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

13 on the injury lists

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

Colorado · injuries

Georgii MerkulovUndisclosedIRReturn16 Oct
Logan O'ConnorLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct
Trent MinerUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
Zachary L'HeureuxLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct
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.

27 Sep · COL

Placed LD Keaton Middleton, LD Wyatt Aamodt, RW/LW Fabian Lysell, C Vinnie Hinostroza, LW Adam Beckman and LW Tristen Nielsen on waivers.

27 Sep · COL

Placed D Keaton Middleton, D Wyatt Aamodt, LW Fabian Lysell, C Vinnie Hinostroza, LW Adam Beckman and G Mads Sogaard Nielsen on waivers.

25 Sep · COL

Reassigned Ds Domenick Fensore, Saige Weinstein and Christian Wolanin to Colorado (AHL).

Injury report
#58Rudolfs BerzkalnsRound 2 · MuskegonC
#84Malcom GastrinRound 3 · Modo Jr.LW
#133Andrew RobinsonRound 5 · WindsorD
#180Caden HarveyRound 6 · WindsorC
Full draft
#43Egor ShilovRound 2 · VictoriavilleC
#74Beckett HamiltonRound 3 · Red DeerC
#126Tobias TvrznikRound 4 · WenatcheeG
#128Axel ElofssonRound 4 · Orebro Jr.D
Full draft

Updated after every final