The Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers open their 2026 NHL preseason schedules Saturday, September 19 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, giving hockey fans their first look at both clubs before the regular season begins.
Puck drop is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. MT, 7:00 p.m. CT and 8:00 p.m. ET. In Canada, the Oilers’ official schedule lists the game as streaming live on Oilers+, with radio coverage available on 880 CHED. There is currently no Sportsnet television broadcast listed for this matchup. In the United States, current streaming listings have the Winnipeg Jets vs. Edmonton Oilers game available on ESPN+, with no separate national linear television channel currently listed.
The game also arrives with several major storylines. Winnipeg is beginning camp without Connor Hellebuyck after the star goalie was suspended for failing to report, while Edmonton enters preseason with several players unavailable because of injuries or rehabilitation. Add Edmonton’s dominance over Winnipeg last season, and this is more interesting than the typical first exhibition game.
Winnipeg Jets vs. Edmonton Oilers TV Channel and Streaming Options
September 19, 2026
7:00 PM CT
8:00 PM ET
Edmonton originally announced in June that all of its non-televised preseason games would stream on Oilers+. The current official preseason schedule now specifically lists Oilers+ beside the September 19 Winnipeg game, so that earlier broadcast plan has been confirmed.
Fans should still check their streaming service shortly before puck drop because preseason broadcast listings can change more frequently than regular-season television schedules.
Regional Blackouts Explained for Jets vs. Oilers
Regional blackouts can be confusing because the rules fans encounter during the NHL regular season do not necessarily apply the same way to a team-operated preseason stream.
During the regular season, Canadian regional broadcasts are tied to designated team territories. For example, regional Edmonton Oilers Sportsnet broadcasts are traditionally available within Alberta, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, while out-of-market availability is handled differently. NHL streaming services can also apply local or national blackout restrictions based on broadcast rights.
For this particular preseason game, however, Edmonton is not listing Sportsnet West as the broadcaster. The team is directing viewers to Oilers+ instead. That distinction matters: fans should not assume that having Sportsnet West or a Winnipeg regional package automatically gives them Saturday’s game.
In the U.S., ESPN+ is presently listed as the streaming option. Availability can still depend on location and service rights, so viewers should confirm the event inside ESPN+ before game time.
How Winnipeg and Edmonton Finished the 2025-26 NHL Season
The two teams enter this preseason from very different starting points.
Winnipeg finished 35-35-12 with 82 points, seventh in the Central Division. The Jets scored 229 goals while allowing 256 and missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Edmonton went 41-30-11 for 93 points, finishing second in the Pacific Division. The Oilers scored 282 goals, sixth-most in the NHL, but allowed 265 before losing their first-round playoff series to Anaheim in six games.
WINNIPEG JETS — 2025-26
EDMONTON OILERS — 2025-26
That 53-goal offensive gap is one statistic I will be watching entering preseason. Winnipeg actually allowed nine fewer goals than Edmonton, but the Jets simply didn’t generate enough offence consistently enough last season.
Oilers Dominated the Jets Last Season
Edmonton swept all three regular-season meetings against Winnipeg in 2025-26 and outscored the Jets 13-6.
The Oilers won 6-2 at Rogers Place on December 6, followed that with a 3-1 victory in Winnipeg on December 29, and completed the sweep with a 4-3 comeback victory on January 8 after Winnipeg had built a 3-1 lead.
There is preseason history here as well. The most recent exhibition meeting between these clubs came September 26, 2025, when Edmonton shut out Winnipeg 4-0 at Rogers Place. Calvin Pickard stopped all 21 shots he faced while Darnell Nurse, David Tomasek, Noah Philp and Kasperi Kapanen were among the Oilers involved offensively.
Because Saturday is the first day of the 2026 NHL preseason, neither Winnipeg nor Edmonton has a 2026 preseason result to analyze yet. The previous head-to-head games therefore provide the most useful recent comparison.
Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers Top Five Scorers From 2025-26
Winnipeg’s offence was led by Mark Scheifele, who produced 103 points, while Kyle Connor finished with 92. Edmonton was on another level at the top: Connor McDavid led the entire NHL with 138 points, while Leon Draisaitl had 97 and defenceman Evan Bouchard produced 95.
JETS TOP-FIVE SCORING INDEX
OILERS TOP-FIVE SCORING INDEX
NHLTradeRumor Scoring Index: each player’s 2025-26 point total indexed against his team’s leading scorer (100). It is a descriptive visualization, not a projection.
Key Jets and Oilers Injuries and Absences
The biggest Winnipeg availability story is technically not an injury. Connor Hellebuyck failed to report to training camp and was suspended by the Jets. The three-time Vezina Trophy winner requested a trade earlier this offseason, leaving Winnipeg with significant uncertainty in goal entering preseason.
PuckPedia currently lists Morgan Barron as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, with Alex Iafallo, Vladislav Namestnikov and Neal Pionk day-to-day with undisclosed issues. Defence prospect Elias Salomonsson is listed month-to-month because of a shoulder injury. Those day-to-day designations can change quickly during camp.
Edmonton has four notable players unavailable. General manager Stan Bowman said Thursday that Alec Regula and Mattias Janmark are closer to playing, while Matt Savoie and Frederik Andersen are not currently skating, with no firm timetable provided. Savoie and Andersen suffered injuries during offseason training, while Janmark and Regula are recovering from medical procedures.
NHLTradeRumor Salary-Cap Snapshot
The Jets currently have considerably more flexibility. Winnipeg has $99.52 million against the $104 million ceiling, leaving approximately $4.48 million in cap space. Edmonton is projected at $102.92 million, leaving roughly $1.08 million. Those numbers are fluid during training camp and can change with transactions, injured-list decisions and roster cuts.
WINNIPEG CAP SNAPSHOT
EDMONTON CAP SNAPSHOT
Jets vs. Oilers Score Prediction
My prediction: Edmonton Oilers 4, Winnipeg Jets 2.
I’m leaning Edmonton because the underlying context keeps pointing me in the same direction. The Oilers scored 53 more goals than Winnipeg last season, swept the regular-season series 3-0, outscored the Jets 13-6 in those games and won their most recent preseason meeting 4-0. Add home ice and Winnipeg’s unsettled goaltending situation with Hellebuyck suspended, and I see Edmonton carrying the edge.
That said, I never put the same confidence into a preseason prediction that I would a regular-season game. Coaches will be evaluating prospects, veterans may receive limited minutes and the final lineups could dramatically alter the matchup. If McDavid, Draisaitl, Scheifele or Connor receive reduced workloads, last season’s numbers become less predictive.
For more hockey coverage, fans can find the Winnipeg Jets on TV today, check the complete Edmonton Oilers schedule, follow the final NHL point leaders from the 2025-26 season, and enter our NHL hockey pool on NHLTradeRumor.com. With preseason beginning and the regular season approaching, bookmark those pages for updated game times, television information, player statistics and hockey pool contests throughout the season.
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