Viljami Marjala scored 1:26 into overtime as the Edmonton Oilers edged the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 in preseason action Tuesday at Canada Life Centre, according to NHL.com’s game recap.
Edmonton outshot Winnipeg 23-18, and both teams finished 0 for 3 on the power play.
Tuesday’s contest was the second of four exhibition games for the Oilers this preseason and the return half of a home-and-home set with the Jets, coming three days after Edmonton’s 5-2 win over Winnipeg at Rogers Place. The two Canadian clubs will not meet again before the regular season, with Edmonton set to open its 2026-27 schedule Sept. 29 against the Vancouver Canucks in a home-and-home series of its own.
Play was tight early, with the teams combining for just five shots through the first 13 minutes, per NHL.com. Winnipeg broke the ice when Alex Iafallo scored at 13:04 of the first period off a feed from Nino Niederreiter, according to NHL.com’s recap on the Jets’ website. Edmonton answered less than three minutes later, at 15:50, when Finnish defenceman Atro Leppänen tied the game.
The equalizer drew scrutiny afterward. Jets goaltender Domenic DiVincentiis was bumped as the puck crossed the line, and Winnipeg head coach Scott Arniel told reporters no video review was available to challenge the play, though he said he believed the goal would have counted regardless, per NHL.com. Leppänen, 26, signed a one-year entry-level contract with Edmonton after leading Finland’s Liiga in scoring last season with 63 points in 60 games for Vaasan Sport, a league record for a blueliner, according to the Oilers’ official announcement.
Neither team scored in the second or third periods, sending the game to overtime. Winnipeg had the better look early in the extra period, with Dylan Samberg’s slap shot sliding wide of the net, per NHL.com. Edmonton then capitalized on a Jets line change, with Zach Hyman springing Marjala for a two-on-one rush that ended with the winning goal 1:26 into overtime.
Marjala, a 22-year-old winger from Oulu, Finland, signed with Edmonton in June 2024 after his draft rights with the Buffalo Sabres, who took him in the fifth round, 159th overall, in 2021, expired, The Hockey Writers reported. He is expected to spend much of the 2026-27 season with the Oilers’ American Hockey League affiliate while continuing to push for a full-time NHL role, though Tuesday’s overtime winner offered another argument for a longer look.
DiVincentiis made 21 saves in his preseason debut for Winnipeg. Arniel praised the young goaltender’s game, telling reporters, “I thought he did a fantastic job. He continued to stay big, didn’t drop down maybe like some of the times last year,” per NHL.com. DiVincentiis said afterward it was “great to be back,” adding, “unfortunately, we just came short.”
Edmonton split its goaltending duties between Devon Levi and Connor Ungar. Iafallo, reflecting on Winnipeg’s early-camp form, said the Jets are focused on “playing that fast, aggressive game” as the preseason continues, per NHL.com.
Winnipeg trims its roster Wednesday and closes its exhibition schedule Friday against the Colorado Avalanche. Edmonton continues on the road Thursday at Vancouver before returning home to face Calgary on Saturday, with training camp battles for the final roster spots continuing ahead of the Oilers’ regular-season opener against the Canucks on Sept. 29.
