Edmonton Oilers begin Western Conference Final schedule next week
The Edmonton Oilers are still waiting to learn who they will be playing in the Western Conference Final.
The Oilers were able to punch their ticket to the third round in rather quick fashion, knocking off the Vegas Golden Knights in just five games. The quick series win is allowing them to get some rest as they await the winner between the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets.
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The Stars had an opportunity to close out the series on Thursday night, but fell to the Jets by a 4-0 final. As a result, these two teams will be heading back to Dallas for Game 6 on Saturday night.
It has since been reported by Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 that had the Stars won Game 5 on Thursday, they would have been playing Game 1 of the Western Conference Final versus the Oilers on Saturday night. The reason being that the NHL head office wanted a Saturday game for fans to view on TV.
TV has lots of say in playoffs, as they should as they pay huge money for the rights, and had Dallas won last night Oilers/Stars would have played Game 1 tomorrow as TV wanted a Saturday game.
WPG won so now WC Final won’t start until next week.
— Jason Gregor (@JasonGregor) May 16, 2025
Now, as mentioned by Gregor, the series won’t begin until next week.
Over the last three seasons, there has been at least a three-day break between the second round and third round series in the Western Conference Final. If the Stars were to close things out on Saturday, however, it’s likely that we would instead see a four-day break, as there is a Katy Perry concert at the American Airlines Center on Wednesday night.
There is also a chance that the NHL could divert from the usual, and choose to have the Oilers and Stars (should the Stars win Game 6) get underway on Tuesday, as there is nothing scheduled that night either at the American Airlines Center.
From the Jets’ perspective, they have a chance to extend their series on Saturday and force a Game 7 on Monday. Should they complete the comeback, a Thursday night start would also provide the minimum three-day break the NHL has seemingly preferred in years past. That would line up from a scheduling perspective, as there are no events scheduled to take place that night at the Canada Life Centre.
It’s also important to note that the Eastern Conference Final will affect the scheduling, as the NHL doesn’t want the final two series games to be played on the same nights.
The Carolina Hurricanes have punched their ticket to the Eastern Conference Final and are waiting to see who they will take on between the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs. The Panthers have a chance to close out the series on Friday night, though the Leafs could force a Game 7, which would come on Sunday.
Should the Panthers win tonight, the NHL could opt for the same four-day break, as the Lenovo Centre, which serves as the home for the Hurricanes, has nothing scheduled on Wednesday evening.
As for the Leafs, if they were to come back and win this series, they would hold home-ice advantage over the Hurricanes. With the Oilers first game likely to come on Thursday, they would get underway in the Eastern Conference Final on Friday, which happens to be wide open at the Scotiabank Arena.
While there are still plenty of implications, it seems like Oilers fans should be prepared to watch their team begin the Western Conference Final on either Tuesday or Thursday evening, largely dependent on how things shake out between the Stars and Jets.