The Edmonton Oilers closed out the 2026-27 preseason with a perfect record Saturday night, beating the Calgary Flames 4-1 at Rogers Place to finish the exhibition schedule at 4-0-0 ahead of Tuesday’s regular-season opener against the Vancouver Canucks.
Zach Hyman opened the scoring on a first-period power play, converting a pass from captain Connor McDavid at 16:46 with Evan Bouchard also picking up an assist, according to the game recap posted on the Oilers’ official website. Calgary’s Kevin Bahl had gone off for tripping Kasperi Kapanen moments earlier to set up the man advantage.
McDavid made it 2-0 in the second period, finishing a passing play from Vasily Podkolzin and Leon Draisaitl. Ryan Shea then added Edmonton’s third goal, with Kapanen and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins drawing assists. Kapanen capped the scoring for Edmonton in the third period on a breakaway, with Nugent-Hopkins picking up his second helper of the night. Matt Coronato replied for Calgary in the third period for the Flames’ lone goal.
Final: Oilers 4, Flames 1. Goaltender Devon Levi stopped 23 of 24 shots for Edmonton, according to the Oilers’ recap and an independently reported account of the game from Yardbarker. Dustin Wolf started in goal for Calgary in what was the Flames’ preseason finale.
Kapanen was named the game’s first star with a goal and an assist, while Nugent-Hopkins finished with two helpers, the Oilers’ recap said. It was the type of complementary scoring Edmonton got from up and down its lineup through the exhibition schedule rather than relying solely on its top players.
Saturday’s win wrapped up a four-game preseason slate for Edmonton, which also included a 2-1 win over Vancouver on Sept. 24 in which forward Isaac Howard recorded a goal and an assist, according to a preseason preview published on the Calgary Flames’ website. The Oilers went unbeaten through the exhibition schedule under new head coach Mike Babcock, who was hired in June to replace Kris Knoblauch after the team’s playoff exit last spring, according to NHL.com’s coverage of the hire.
McDavid, who enters the season as Edmonton’s captain, said camp had been “a good spot” for the team as it prepared for the opener, according to the Flames’ pregame notes published ahead of Saturday’s game.
The Oilers now turn to the regular season, opening a home-and-home series against Vancouver with Tuesday’s game at Rogers Place before the two clubs meet again Oct. 1 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. Edmonton’s game against the Canucks is the second contest of a Sportsnet doubleheader across the league on opening night, according to the Oilers’ release announcing the schedule. Edmonton’s full 84-game slate, released in July, includes two additional divisional matchups compared with recent seasons, the same release said.
Calgary also wrapped its preseason Saturday. The Flames made several roster moves in the days before the finale, including the addition of forward Alex Nylander on a one-year, two-way contract; Nylander did not play in Saturday’s game, according to the Flames’ pregame notes.
With the preseason now behind them, both teams turn to trimming their rosters to the regular-season limit before puck drop on the 2026-27 season this week.
