Early look The full preview opens on Monday 4 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

Florida Panthers at Edmonton Oilers: game preview

Puck drop7 Jan · 8:00 PM ET
VenueRogers Place
All-time meetings60 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Nine points apart last season

Florida finished last season 25th in the league on 84 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 61

Across 60 completed games, Edmonton lead the head-to-head 32-26-2.

All-time record32-26-2Edmonton's record in the series
Meetings played60This is number 61
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Florida
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
19 Mar 2026FLA 4 – EDM 0——FLA
22 Nov 2025EDM 6 – FLA 3——EDM
17 Jun 2025EDM 1 – FLA 5——FLA
14 Jun 2025FLA 5 – EDM 2——FLA
12 Jun 2025EDM 5 – FLA 4 OT——EDM
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateFloridaEdmonton
22 Nov 202511-9-1 · 23 pts24th10-9-5 · 25 pts20th
19 Mar 202634-31-3 · 71 pts22nd34-27-9 · 77 pts17th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 22 Nov 2025, Florida were 24th in the league and Edmonton 20th. By 19 Mar 2026 it was 22nd and 17th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Florida out-attempted Edmonton 138 to 108

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

Florida Panthers

138 att · 61 on goal · 7 G · 11.5%
Crease13 att · 0 G
Slot52 att · 6 G
Wing58 att · 1 G
Point13 att · 0 G
Neutral zone2 att · 0 G

Edmonton Oilers

108 att · 52 on goal · 6 G · 11.5%
Crease12 att · 0 G
Slot42 att · 3 G
Wing35 att · 3 G
Point17 att · 0 G
Neutral zone2 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.

FloridaEdmonton
3.01xG for per game3.31
2.34xG against per game2.10
56.3%xG share61.2%
−4.0FinishingGoals minus expected goals+7.1
+1.4GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−7.7

This season: 4 games for Florida, 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

Florida

Small sample
Power play · 2026-274.3%
Power play · 2025-2619.5% · 19th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2778.9%
Penalty kill · 2025-2681.0% · 9th
Faceoffs · 2026-2750.2% · 115/229
Drawn · 2026-2723 (5.75/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2719 (4.75/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
19Matthew Tkachuk42130.75
20Lars Eller40330.75
9Sam Bennett40330.75
97Connor McDavid32793.00
29Leon Draisaitl33251.67
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
3Seth Jones41010.25
42Gustav Forsling31010.33
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 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

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

Florida crease

FLA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 4 Jan

Jacob Markstrom.9273 GP · 2-0-1 · GSAx +3.2
Akira Schmid.8751 GP · 0-0-1 · GSAx −1.0

No appearances against Edmonton in the last meetings.

Edmonton crease

EDM · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 4 Jan

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

No appearances against Florida in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.6 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

19 Mar 20264 · FLA 4–0 EDM
22 Nov 20259 · EDM 6–3 FLA
17 Jun 20256 · EDM 1–5 FLA
14 Jun 20257 · FLA 5–2 EDM
12 Jun 20259 · EDM 5–4 FLA

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Florida2.002.003.063.37
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 suggest6.6Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings7.0Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

14 on the injury lists

Florida · injuries

Aaron EkbladPersonalOutReturn10 Oct
Aleksander BarkovLower BodyIRReturn27 Nov
Brad MarchandLegDay-to-dayReturn10 Oct
Jonah GadjovichUpper BodyIRReturn17 Oct
MacKenzie EntwistleUndisclosedIRReturn10 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 · FLA

Placed C Aleksander Barkov on long-term injured reserve. Called up D Alexander Petrovic from Charlotte (AHL).

3 Oct · FLA

Placed C Aleksander Barkov on long-term injured reserve.

27 Sep · FLA

Placed RW/C Cole Schwindt, RD Alexander Petrovic, LD Donovan Sebrango, LW Kai Schwindt, LW Cole Reinhardt, RW Sam Lafferty and C/LW John Beecher on waivers. Agreed to terms with RW Nathan Bastian on a 1-year, two-way contract.

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
#40Simas IgnataviciusRound 2 · GeneveRW
#48Ryder CaliRound 2 · North BayC
#98Jonas KempsRound 4 · ChicagoD
#168Vilho VanhataloRound 6 · Tappara Jr.RW
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