Early look The full preview opens on Friday 11 December, 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 Montréal Canadiens: game preview

Puck drop14 Dec · 7:30 PM ET
VenueCentre Bell
All-time meetings113 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Thirteen points apart last season

Edmonton finished last season 14th in the league on 93 points. Montréal finished 6th on 106.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 114

Across 113 completed games, Edmonton lead the head-to-head 62-45-6.

All-time record62-45-6Edmonton's record in the series
Meetings played113This is number 114
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Edmonton
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
14 Dec 2025EDM 1 – MTL 4——MTL
23 Oct 2025MTL 5 – EDM 6——EDM
6 Mar 2025MTL 2 – EDM 3 OT——EDM
18 Nov 2024EDM 0 – MTL 3——MTL
19 Mar 2024MTL 2 – EDM 3 OT——EDM
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateEdmontonMontréal
23 Oct 20254-3-1 · 9 pts14th6-3-0 · 12 pts7th
14 Dec 202515-12-6 · 36 pts18th17-11-4 · 38 pts12th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 23 Oct 2025, Edmonton were 14th in the league and Montréal 7th. By 14 Dec 2025 it was 18th and 12th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Edmonton out-attempted Montréal 118 to 111

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

Edmonton Oilers

118 att · 57 on goal · 7 G · 12.3%
Crease15 att · 2 G
Slot36 att · 4 G
Wing41 att · 1 G
Point25 att · 0 G
Neutral zone1 att · 0 G

Montréal Canadiens

111 att · 54 on goal · 9 G · 16.7%
Crease9 att · 3 G
Slot53 att · 3 G
Wing29 att · 3 G
Point12 att · 0 G
Neutral zone8 att · 0 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.

EdmontonMontréal
3.31xG for per game2.61
2.10xG against per game3.61
61.2%xG share42.0%
+7.1FinishingGoals minus expected goals+4.2
−7.7GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−3.2

This season: 3 games for Edmonton, 3 for Montréal. 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

Montréal

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2710.0%
Power play · 2025-2623.1% · 10th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2775.0%
Penalty kill · 2025-2678.2% · 18th
Faceoffs · 2026-2753.9% · 96/178
Drawn · 2026-2710 (3.33/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (4.00/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
14Nick Suzuki32462.00
22Chris Kreider31341.33
76Zachary Bolduc33031.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
2Evan Bouchard34482.67
6Ryan Shea31231.00
14Mattias Ekholm30000.00
48Lane Hutson30441.33
8Mike Matheson30110.33
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 12 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 12 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Edmonton crease

EDM · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 11 Dec

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

No appearances against Montréal in the last meetings.

Montréal crease

MTL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 11 Dec

Jakub Dobes.8573 GP · 1-1-1 · GSAx −3.0

No appearances against Edmonton in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 7.1 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

14 Dec 20255 · EDM 1–4 MTL
23 Oct 202511 · MTL 5–6 EDM
6 Mar 20255 · MTL 2–3 EDM
18 Nov 20243 · EDM 0–3 MTL
19 Mar 20245 · MTL 2–3 EDM

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
Montréal4.004.673.453.12

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 suggest7.1Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings5.8Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

14 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

Montréal · injuries

Bryce PickfordUndisclosedIRReturn17 Oct
Ivan DemidovLower BodyIRReturn31 Oct
Kaiden GuhleGroinIRReturn20 Oct
Lucas CondottaUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
Oliver KapanenLower BodyOutReturn8 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 · MTL

Placed D Reilly Walsh, D Maksymilian Szuber, D Ethan Samson, C Sam Poulin, RW Sasha Pastujov, C Hunter McKown, G Kaapo Kähkönen, LW Brett Berard, and RW Alex Belzile on waivers for the purpose of loaning them to Laval (AHL).

12 Sep · MTL

Signed F Chris Kreider to a one-year contract.

9 Aug 2026 · MTL

Loaned F Vinzenz Rohrer to EV Zug (Switzerland).

Injury report
#58Rudolfs BerzkalnsRound 2 · MuskegonC
#84Malcom GastrinRound 3 · Modo Jr.LW
#133Andrew RobinsonRound 5 · WindsorD
#180Caden HarveyRound 6 · WindsorC
Full draft
#26Gleb PugachyovRound 1 · Nizhny Novgorod Jr.RW
#57Timofei RuntsoRound 2 · VictoriaD
#93Cooper CleavesRound 3 · DartmouthD
#117Brayden KlimpkeRound 4 · SaskatoonD
Full draft

Updated after every final