Oilers host Ducks
- What happened: The Anaheim Ducks opened their first‑round series in Edmonton against the Oilers on Monday night. - The key specific: Edmonton earned and is using home‑ice advantage to host Game 1 of the Pacific matchup. - Context: The full NHL first‑round bracket is live, with schedules and TV info available for every series. ( )
Edmonton opened its first-round series by hosting Anaheim at Rogers Place on Monday night, then edged the Ducks 4-3 to take a 1-0 lead. (nhl.com, espn.com) The Oilers got home ice by finishing second in the Pacific Division with 93 points, one point ahead of the third-place Ducks at 92. Vegas won the division with 95 points, leaving Edmonton to open the series at home as the No. 2 seed. (nhl.com, nhl.com) That seeding set the usual best-of-seven format: Games 1 and 2 in Edmonton, Games 3 and 4 in Anaheim, then alternating sites if the series goes longer. The Ducks announced the matchup would follow the National Hockey League’s 2-2-1-1-1 format. (nhl.com, nhl.com) Edmonton’s edge was narrow over 82 games, but it was enough to control the start of the series and guarantee a potential Game 7 at Rogers Place. In the regular season, the Oilers went 22-14-5 at home, while Anaheim went 19-20-2 on the road. (nhl.com) The matchup also paired two Pacific rivals that were separated by one point and split their season series unevenly by venue. Edmonton won both home meetings, 7-4 and 4-2, while Anaheim took the game in California 6-5. (nhl.com) Game 1 itself followed that pattern. Kasperi Kapanen scored twice, including the winner with 1:54 left in the third period, after Anaheim erased a 2-0 deficit with three second-period goals. (espn.com, nhl.com) The series is the third playoff meeting between the franchises. Edmonton won the 2006 Western Conference Final in five games, and Anaheim won a seven-game second-round series in 2017. (nhl.com) The broader bracket was already underway by April 21, with the league posting first-round dates, times, television assignments and results for all eight series. For Edmonton and Anaheim, the immediate next step was Game 2 back in Alberta before the series shifted south. (nhl.com, nhl.com)
