The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Seattle Kraken 3-1 on Saturday, their second consecutive win, as Connor McDavid recorded a goal and an assist to reach nine points through the team’s first three games. Owen Michaels and Leon Draisaitl also scored for Edmonton, which improved to 2-0-1. Devon Levi made 19 saves in goal.

The win followed two high-scoring games against the Vancouver Canucks. Edmonton lost the opener 6-5 in overtime, then won the rematch 9-7 after building an 8-2 lead. Draisaitl said the team’s defensive effort against Seattle showed it could win without relying on a run-and-gun style.

“We defended well for the most part and were able to stick with it. Eventually you’ll find a bounce or a look at some point,” Draisaitl said. He scored his third goal of the season with 2:27 remaining in the third period, giving Edmonton a 2-1 lead. “That is certainly how we want to play. The last game got away from us a little bit and it was not the easiest situation, but you can certainly play better and tonight was a solid, solid effort.”

McDavid, who has two goals and seven assists this season, became the first player to record at least seven assists in his team’s first three games of a season since Brad Marchand did so for Boston in 2018-19. The Oilers’ latest win also marked the 126th game in which McDavid and Draisaitl have both scored. Edmonton’s record in those games is 95-21-10.

Levi started again despite giving up seven goals in his previous appearance, against Vancouver on Thursday. He spent all of last season in the American Hockey League with the Buffalo organization and said he focused on moving past the loss.

“I personally walk away from that Vancouver game just with the win. That’s all I took from that game. Turn the page and get to work the next day,” Levi said. “It’s not easy, but I’ve definitely been through harder. Just the past few years, there’s definitely been some adversity that’s really taught me it’s one day, it’s one game. The ups, the downs? They come, they go.”

Levi said the confidence he receives from the team has helped. “Just knowing that the coaches trust me, the boys trust me, definitely improves confidence as a goalie, for sure. The support system here has been amazing so far. It definitely feels good.”

Head coach Mike Babcock welcomed the reduction in goals against after the Vancouver games. “We didn’t give up a touchdown!” he said. Babcock noted that the Oilers received good goaltending, including on a Seattle chance during the second penalty kill after an Edmonton mistake. “We made a mistake on that second penalty kill and they had a bell-ringer and he made the save.”

Babcock also pointed to a turnover on a reverse that gave Seattle a strong opportunity. “We turned the puck over on a reverse and they end up with a great chance. You have to give him credit because we haven’t had that. That was really positive tonight.”

Michaels, a 24-year-old Michigan native, went undrafted. He helped Western Michigan win the first national championship in the program’s history in 2025, then signed with Edmonton as a free agent. He surprised many by earning a roster spot out of training camp and now has two goals in his first three NHL games.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling, it hard to find the words,” Michaels said. “I’m just happy to see them go in the net and it helps playing with some great linemates and everyone has been awesome so far.”

Edmonton has a 16-4-1 overall record against Seattle and is 9-1-0 at home in the series, with eight consecutive home wins. Oilers players occupy four of the top five spots in career scoring against the Kraken: Draisaitl leads with 35 points in 16 games, McDavid is second with 28, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is third and Zach Hyman is fifth. Nugent-Hopkins and Hyman were among seven Edmonton players already out with injuries. The Canadian Press first published this report on Oct. 4, 2026.

Based on reporting by Global News Edmonton.