Matt Tomkins, the goaltender Edmonton recalled from the minors after Devon Levi was placed on injured reserve nearly two weeks ago, will make his second start in three games Thursday night when the Oilers face the Anaheim Ducks (7 p.m.). Head coach Mike Babcock told reporters after the morning skate that the 32-year-old, who backstopped the Oilers to a 4-1 win over the New York Rangers on Sunday, gets the nod because Tristan Jarry is sick. Babcock added that Levi “looks like he’s ready,” as does winger Zach Hyman. “Usually, when they look like they’re ready, that could be any time soon,” Babcock said. On the other side of the ice, former Oilers netminder Laurent Brossoit is expected to start for the Ducks for the third straight game. Knowing ‘how to play’ The Oilers enter Thursday atop the Western Conference standings, but their latest result, a 4-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, featured a second period to forget. Edmonton was outshot 16-3 in the middle frame after carrying an 11-2-2 record into Newark. The Oilers rallied by scoring twice on the power play to force overtime before eventually falling in the shootout. Babcock, echoing a message he has repeated throughout the 2026-27 season, said his team still needs “to understand how to play.” “We’re a long way from figuring a lot of this stuff out, but we’re trying to get better,” he said. “The other night in the second period, I don’t know what happened there, but when you get away from your detail and your focus, none of you look very good.” Centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins described the style Babcock wants his team to play as one that can hold up over the long term. “It’s a type of game that requires a lot of skating, a lot of work, and you’ve got to compete for pucks, but those are things that you can sustain over long periods of time,” he said. “Even if the puck play isn’t great for us on a certain night, you fall back into that system and it’s still tough on the other side to create chances against.” Projected Oilers lineup Forward Defence Goal
