The holiday spirit should be alive and well as the Edmonton Oilers play out their December schedule. The month begins with a two game homestand, a sizable road trip, and then a few more home games before Santa visits the National Hockey League. After Boxing Day, it's straight back on the road, with a trip that will see them celebrating the New Year somewhere between Boston and Detroit.
The Oilers will face 11 different opponents over their thirteen December games, only seeing the Washington Capitals and Buffalo Sabres twice. Their other matchups feature the following clubs:
- Chicago Blackhawks - potentially with a healthy Connor Bedard
- Minnesota Wild - who beat up on the Oilers last season
- Ottawa Senators - now Tkachuk-less
- Montreal Canadiens - a team that has taken a massive step forward into "contender" status
- Dallas Stars - Similar to the Wild, Dallas had Edmonton's number in 2025-26
- Utah Mammoth - some are suggesting the Mammoth could be a team to beat
- Anaheim Ducks - home of the highest paid player in the league
- Columbus Bluejackets - can't stand that cannon
- Boston Bruins - always competitive, even if their most recent Cup window has closed
A wide variety of opponents
Facing so many different clubs, December will be a test of new head coach Mike Babcock's ability to gameplan in the current NHL. Having been out of the league since 2019, it's possible that the early season may see some turbulence as Babcock tweaks his strategy. But post-American Thanksgiving, the team will need to be fully onboarded into what Oiler fans hope will be a winning strategy. Their powerplay dominance is likely to continue, but penalty kill and 5-on-5 will need better execution in 2026-27.
If you don't count the Vancouver Canucks, there really are no easy games on a NHL schedule. Each of the teams the Oilers will face in December is capable of beating them, just as they're capable of finding victories, even against strong contenders like the Stars and Wild. The two Sabres matchups will be a real test as well, even though they'll be without Alex Tuch and his 33 goals worth of production. Buffalo finished their previous season on a hot streak, and while they didn't have the playoff success they hoped for, they can no longer be considered an easy two points in the standings.
Predicted out come for December is 7-4-2, with splits coming against Washington and Buffalo, along with losses to two of the three Central division opponents. The month opens with Mattias Janmark's 34th birthday on December 8th, and closes with new netminder Devon Levi turning 25 the day after Boxing Day.
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