Oilers and Ducks join playoffs
- The NHL first round continues as the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks finally enter the postseason schedule. (espn.com) - Their series openers shift the bracket balance and bring fresh matchups into view today. (espn.com) - Teams already down will try to avoid 0‑2 holes while these fresh entrants look to set tempo. (espn.com)
Edmonton and Anaheim are the last first-round teams to start, with Game 1 set for Monday night at Rogers Place in Edmonton. (nhl.com) The Oilers finished second in the Pacific Division at 41-30-11 for 93 points, and the Ducks finished third at 43-33-6 for 92 points. Game 1 is scheduled for 10 p.m. Eastern on April 20, with Game 2 in Edmonton on April 22 before the series shifts to Anaheim on April 24. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2) That late start leaves this matchup opening after seven of the other eight first-round series had already begun over the weekend. Monday’s playoff slate also includes Game 2s in Philadelphia-Pittsburgh, Ottawa-Carolina and Minnesota-Dallas. (espn.com) (nhl.com) The bracket already has pressure points. ESPN’s playoff tracker showed Philadelphia, Carolina, Minnesota, Colorado, Montreal, Buffalo and Vegas all holding 1-0 series leads entering Monday, while Edmonton-Anaheim remained the only series still at 0-0. (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) For Edmonton, the opener starts another run after a regular season in which the club scored 282 goals and posted a plus-13 goal differential. For Anaheim, it starts a return built on a 92-point season that put the Ducks back in the Pacific top three. (nhl.com) The full first-round schedule announced by the league put this series on the final opening night of the round, with national U.S. coverage on ESPN2 and local broadcasts in both markets. That means by puck drop, both teams will know which contenders elsewhere are already chasing 2-0 leads or trying to avoid them. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2) By the end of Monday, every 2026 Stanley Cup playoff series will finally be underway. Edmonton and Anaheim do not start the postseason alone, but they do start with the clearest board: 0-0, one game, and the last untouched corner of the bracket. (nhl.com)
