Evan Bouchard’s playmaking and Ryan Shea’s sparkling debut ignited Edmonton's offense, while Alex Formenton impressed coach Mike Babcock in a dominant, high-scoring display against Winnipeg.
The Edmonton Oilers opened their preseason with a 5-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets, powered by four assists from Evan Bouchard and a goal-plus-two-helper night from newcomer Ryan Shea in his first game with the team.
Alex Formenton, Colton Dach, Connor McDavid, and Leon Draisaitl all scored for the Oilers as well.
Shea, who signed a five-year deal this offseason after a longer path to the NHL, opened the scoring with a slick individual effort before Connor McDavid added another just minutes later. The defenseman looked poised and ready to play big minutes, and he fit in well with the team's top players. "The game's easy when you're on the ice with them. They open the ice so much for everyone else... The quicker I can give them the puck, the better off we're going to be."
Leon Draisaitl and Alex Formenton each scored in the second period, with Formenton — playing his first game action since April 2022 — impressing new head coach Mike Babcock alongside linemates Colton Dach and Mathieu Joseph. Formenton used his speed to break away from the pack and score the breakaway. "It was nice to get a goal, but it was nice to get the legs moving and get back up to pace. It was a good, well-rounded team effort," said Formenton, who was also laser-focused on his play and not the protest against his signing that took place outside the arena.
The fans inside cheered when he scored and Formenton made a fan in Babcock too. "What a difference-maker he's going to be for us," said the coach after the game. "Elite penalty killer, puts pressure on the other team. I thought him Jo and Dach were unreal." "I was so happy with that line tonight, that was my favorite line tonight by far," Babcock said of the trio of Formenton, Dach and Mathieu Joseph.
Babcock also touched on early adjustments at camp, noting that the transition to his systems will take time and that they'll remove some of the detail-focused learning in the next practice to speed up the pace. He also discussed how he's mixing blueline partnerships to build chemistry around Bouchard, hinting that Mattias Ekholm will return as Bouchard's partner.
The Oilers and Jets will meet again Tuesday in Winnipeg as Edmonton continues shaping its lineup ahead of the regular-season opener on September 29.
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