Our Edmonton Oilers vs Vancouver Canucks preview covers the odds, puck line, total, puck drop time, TV channel and where to watch on Thursday, October 1, 2026. The Edmonton Oilers (41-30-11 in 2025-26) visit the Vancouver Canucks (25-49-8) at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C. Puck drop is 10:00 PM ET (7:00 PM PT). TV: Sportsnet Pacific / Sportsnet One (Canada).
Rematch storyline: Two nights after opening their seasons against each other in Edmonton, the Oilers and Canucks meet again in Vancouver’s home opener. On Tuesday, Sept. 29, Vancouver built a 5-2 lead early in the third period, Edmonton scored three times to tie it, the last on Vasily Podkolzin’s power-play goal with 43 seconds left, and Paul Cotter won it 6-5 at 1:59 of overtime. Evan Bouchard had three goals and two assists for Edmonton (NHL.com). Both teams have new coaches, Mike Babcock in Edmonton and Manny Malhotra in Vancouver. DraftKings lists Edmonton at -198 and Vancouver at +164 on the moneyline, with the total at 6.5.
Edmonton Oilers vs Vancouver Canucks Odds, Puck Line & Game Info
| Matchup | Edmonton Oilers @ Vancouver Canucks |
|---|---|
| 2025-26 Records | Edmonton Oilers 41-30-11 | Vancouver Canucks 25-49-8 |
| Head Coaches | EDM: Mike Babcock (1st season) | VAN: Manny Malhotra (1st season) |
| Puck Line | EDM -1.5 (+124) | VAN +1.5 (-148) |
| Moneyline | Edmonton Oilers: -198 | Vancouver Canucks: +164 |
| Total | O/U 6.5 (o-115 / u-105) |
| Venue | Rogers Arena (Vancouver, B.C.) |
| Date / Time | Thursday, October 1, 2026 — 10:00 PM ET |
| TV / How to Watch | Sportsnet Pacific / Sportsnet One (Canada) |
| Starting Goalies | Not confirmed. Projected: EDM: Tristan Jarry / Devon Levi | VAN: Kevin Lankinen / Leevi Merilainen |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN), cross-checked on Action Network, as of Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, ~6:21 PM ET. Other books listed the same total at research time. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before puck drop. Starting goalies were not confirmed at research time.
Edmonton Oilers Preview: Last Season, Offseason & Goalies
2025-26 recap: Edmonton went 41-30-11 (93 points) and finished second in the Pacific Division, then lost to Anaheim in six games in the first round after reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2024 and 2025. The Oilers allowed 3.23 goals per game, 25th in the NHL (NHL.com). Connor McDavid led the team with 138 points (48 goals, 90 assists), Leon Draisaitl had 97 points and Bouchard had 95.
Offseason moves: Edmonton fired coach Kris Knoblauch on May 14 and hired Mike Babcock, who has 700 NHL wins and had not coached in the league since 2019, on June 23. Goalie Frederik Andersen signed after winning the Stanley Cup with Carolina, and the Oilers acquired goalie Devon Levi from Buffalo and signed defenseman Ryan Shea. Longtime defenseman Darnell Nurse was traded to San Jose, and Jack Roslovic signed with Toronto.
Key players & coach: McDavid, Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Podkolzin and Isaac Howard lead the forwards, with Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, Jake Walman and Connor Murphy on defense. McDavid and Draisaitl were split onto separate lines in the opener with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins out (NHL.com).
Goalies: Tristan Jarry started the opener and made 17 saves on 23 shots. He went 9-6-2 with a 3.86 GAA and .858 save percentage in 19 games for Edmonton last season after arriving from Pittsburgh. Levi is the backup while Andersen is out. Edmonton had not confirmed a starter at research time.
Season opener recap: Vancouver won 6-5 in overtime at Rogers Place on Sept. 29 despite being outshot 37-23. Bouchard scored three goals, Podkolzin scored twice and McDavid had two assists (NHL.com).
Injuries: Nugent-Hopkins (lower body) was hurt in practice Monday, and Babcock said he goes by about two weeks for players listed as day to day. Andersen (knee) is on injured reserve and may be back in December, Matt Savoie (lower body) is out about another eight weeks, Jason Dickinson (foot) is “a bit away,” and Mattias Janmark is on IR with no timeline (NHL.com, EdmontonOilers.com, ESPN).
Vancouver Canucks Preview: Malhotra’s Home Debut
2025-26 recap: Vancouver went 25-49-8 (58 points), the fewest points in the NHL. The Canucks allowed the most goals in the league, had the worst penalty kill (71.5 percent) and tied for 30th in goals scored (NHL.com). Elias Pettersson led the team with 51 points, Filip Hronek had 49 and Brock Boeser scored 22 goals.
Offseason moves: Vancouver fired coach Adam Foote on May 19 and hired Manny Malhotra, who won the 2025 Calder Cup coaching AHL Abbotsford, on June 1. Ryan Johnson became GM, and Henrik and Daniel Sedin were named co-presidents of hockey operations. The Canucks acquired Brendan Gallagher from Montreal, signed defensemen Jamie Oleksiak and Luke Schenn and forward Paul Cotter, and claimed goalie Leevi Merilainen off waivers from Ottawa on Sept. 25. Teddy Blueger, Marcus Pettersson and Nils Hoglander were among those who left.
Key players & coach: Pettersson, Jake DeBrusk, Boeser, Marco Rossi, Linus Karlsson and Jonathan Lekkerimaki lead the forwards, with Hronek, Oleksiak, Zeev Buium and Tom Willander on defense. Malhotra coaches his first home game for Vancouver.
Goalies: Kevin Lankinen made 32 saves on 37 shots for the win in the opener. He went 11-27-5 with a 3.70 GAA and .875 save percentage last season. Merilainen is the backup while Thatcher Demko recovers from hip surgery. Vancouver had not confirmed a starter at research time.
Season opener recap: Cotter scored twice, including a shorthanded goal and the overtime winner, and Rossi, Lekkerimaki, Max Sasson and Pettersson (power play) also scored in the 6-5 win at Edmonton on Sept. 29. Hronek had two assists (NHL.com).
Injuries: Demko (hip) and forward Filip Chytil (shoulder) are on injured reserve, along with Mackenzie MacEachern, Akil Thomas and Jack Thompson (ESPN).
Key Matchup Notes: Oilers vs Canucks
- Quick rematch: Vancouver won 6-5 in overtime in Edmonton on Tuesday after the Oilers rallied from 5-2 down in the third period. Thursday is the Canucks’ home opener.
- Shot totals: Edmonton outshot Vancouver 37-23 in the opener, and each team scored a power-play goal (NHL.com).
- Bouchard’s big night: Bouchard had five points (three goals, two assists) in the opener, and McDavid had two assists.
- Penalty kill: Vancouver’s penalty kill ranked last in the NHL last season (71.5 percent), and Edmonton scored the tying goal on the power play Tuesday.
- Edmonton injuries: Nugent-Hopkins, Andersen, Savoie, Dickinson and Janmark were all out at research time.
- Odds snapshot: Edmonton -198 / Vancouver +164 on the moneyline, Oilers -1.5 (+124) on the puck line, total 6.5 (DraftKings).
How to Watch Edmonton Oilers vs Vancouver Canucks
Date: Thursday, October 1, 2026
Puck drop: 10:00 PM ET (7:00 PM PT)
Venue: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, B.C.
TV: Sportsnet Pacific and Sportsnet One in Canada (NHL.com). ESPN lists ESPN+ streaming in the U.S.; no U.S. TV broadcast is listed at research time.
Check the puck line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 1, 2026 puck drop, and look for confirmed starting goalies closer to game time.