Early look The full preview opens on Sunday 17 January, 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 Vegas Golden Knights: game preview

Puck drop20 Jan · 10:00 PM ET
VenueT-Mobile Arena
All-time meetings41 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Two points apart last season

Edmonton finished last season 14th in the league on 93 points. Vegas finished 13th on 95, and the 2025-26 season series went EDM 3-1-0.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 42

Across 41 completed games, Edmonton lead the head-to-head 24-15-2.

All-time record24-15-2Edmonton's record in the series
Meetings played41This is number 42
2025-26 seriesEDM 3-1-0
Last 54-1Edmonton
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
4 Apr 2026VGK 5 – EDM 1——VGK
26 Mar 2026EDM 4 – VGK 3 OT——EDM
8 Mar 2026EDM 4 – VGK 2——EDM
21 Dec 2025VGK 3 – EDM 4——EDM
14 May 2025EDM 1 – VGK 0 OT——EDM
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateEdmontonVegas
21 Dec 202518-13-6 · 42 pts11th16-8-10 · 42 pts9th
8 Mar 202627-19-8 · 62 pts12th25-14-12 · 62 pts11th
26 Mar 202636-28-9 · 81 pts17th32-26-15 · 79 pts19th
4 Apr 202639-29-9 · 87 pts16th35-26-16 · 86 pts19th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 21 Dec 2025, Edmonton were 11th in the league and Vegas 9th. By 4 Apr 2026 it was 16th and 19th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Vegas out-attempted Edmonton 234 to 225

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

Edmonton Oilers

225 att · 101 on goal · 13 G · 12.9%
Crease23 att · 2 G
Slot83 att · 10 G
Wing81 att · 1 G
Point29 att · 0 G
Neutral zone9 att · 0 G

Vegas Golden Knights

234 att · 119 on goal · 13 G · 10.9%
Crease20 att · 2 G
Slot94 att · 9 G
Wing81 att · 1 G
Point29 att · 1 G
Neutral zone10 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Vegas 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.

EdmontonVegas
3.31xG for per game3.79
2.10xG against per game2.09
61.2%xG share64.4%
+7.1FinishingGoals minus expected goals+1.8
−7.7GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−1.6

This season: 3 games for Edmonton, 4 for Vegas. 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

Vegas

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2731.3%
Power play · 2025-2624.6% · 6th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2783.3%
Penalty kill · 2025-2681.4% · 7th
Faceoffs · 2026-2753.0% · 122/230
Drawn · 2026-2716 (4.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (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
9Jack Eichel428102.50
95Victor Olofsson44151.25
48Tomas Hertl43251.25
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
2Evan Bouchard34482.67
6Ryan Shea31231.00
14Mattias Ekholm30000.00
27Shea Theodore41230.75
15Noah Hanifin41010.25
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 17 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 17 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Edmonton crease

EDM · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 17 Jan

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

No appearances against Vegas in the last meetings.

Vegas crease

VGK · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 17 Jan

Carter Hart.8903 GP · 2-1-0 · GSAx −1.1
Adin Hill.9001 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx −0.5

No appearances against Edmonton in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.8 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

4 Apr 20266 · VGK 5–1 EDM
26 Mar 20267 · EDM 4–3 VGK
8 Mar 20266 · EDM 4–2 VGK
21 Dec 20257 · VGK 3–4 EDM
14 May 20251 · EDM 1–0 VGK

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
Vegas4.252.503.233.05

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 suggest6.8Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings5.4Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

12 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

Vegas · injuries

Lukas CormierUndisclosedIRReturn22 Oct
Raphael LavoieUndisclosedOutReturn8 Oct
Victor OlofssonUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn8 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.

30 Sep · VGK

Signed C William Karlsson to a two-year contract.

29 Sep · VGK

Placed C Jakub Cormier, RW Matyas Hemmerling and C Jakub Uchacz on the injured non-roster list.

23 Sep · VGK

Placed D Jaycob Megna, D Adam Ginning, D Joe Fleming, C Jakub Demek and D Jeremy Davies on waivers.

Injury report
#58Rudolfs BerzkalnsRound 2 · MuskegonC
#84Malcom GastrinRound 3 · Modo Jr.LW
#133Andrew RobinsonRound 5 · WindsorD
#180Caden HarveyRound 6 · WindsorC
Full draft
#29Juho PiiparinenRound 1 · TapparaD
#63ForfeitedRound 2 ·
#92Benjamin WilmottRound 3 · BarrieC
#95Sean BurickRound 3 · PentictonD
Full draft

Updated after every final