A preview of the upcoming NHL season has been released and let’s just say it won’t exactly have Edmonton Oilers fans hanging onto their hats out of the gates.
But, hey, hats are a heck of a lot better than paper bags, which is what the opposing fan base should probably be reaching for to cover their heads, as the Oilers open things up with a home-and-away series against the lowly, down-and-out Vancouver Canucks.
With a league-low 58 points last season (a full 14 fewer than the next-worst Chicago Blackhawks), the basement-dwelling Canucks will be slinking into Rogers Place on Tuesday, Sept. 29 (Sportsnet), which will mark the regular-season debut of new Oilers head coach Mike Babcock.
The scene then immediately shifts to the West Coast on Oct. 1 for a rematch at Rogers Arena.
The Oilers darn near swept the season series against Vancouver last year, going 3-0-1 in their four meetings and outscoring them by a combined 18-6, with their lone loss coming in a 4-3 overtime result on Oct. 26.
Full schedules for all 32 clubs will be released Thursday at 11 a.m. Each team will play two more games against divisional opponents this season, as the schedule expands from 82 games to 84 this season. (Yes, that means Vancouver gets two more chances to try and crack the 60-point mark, for what it’s worth).
The flipside of a longer regular season will see the Oilers play a shortened, four-game pre-season schedule beginning Saturday, Sept. 19, at home against the Winnipeg Jets.
Oilers pre-Season Schedule
- Saturday, Sept. 19: vs. Winnipeg Jets (Rogers Place)
- Tuesday, Sept. 22: at Winnipeg Jets (Canada Life Centre)
- Thursday, Sept. 24: at Vancouver Canucks (Rogers Arena)
- Saturday, Sept. 26: vs. Calgary Flames (Rogers Place)
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