When the Edmonton Oilers playoff schedule will begin
We now have an idea of when the Edmonton Oilers will open up their 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs schedule.
The 2026 NHL playoff picture is set, with all 16 teams clinching spots, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t more work to be done. While we know which teams will be competing in this year’s tournament, a few first-round matchups have yet to be determined.
That includes the Oilers, whose first-round matchup will come down to the final game of the season. Edmonton could face three different teams in the opening round and may or may not have home-ice advantage. The Pacific Division playoff race is a mess, making it very difficult to project when Game 1 will take place for the Oilers.
Luckily, we can now narrow down Edmonton’s playoff opener to two days.
According to a schedule released by the NHL on Thursday, the Oilers will open things up on Sunday if they end up facing the Colorado Avalanche, or on Monday if they draw either the Anaheim Ducks or the LA Kings.
NHL schedule for Game 1 of each first-round series. As mentioned, #Oilers will start on either Sunday (vs. COL) or Monday (vs. LA/ANA)
Senators/Hurricanes kick things off at 1 p.m. MT on Saturday pic.twitter.com/NqQV6QJfgA
— Preston Hodgkinson (@NHLHodgkinson) April 16, 2026
Edmonton won’t know for sure which of those two days they will begin their playoff schedule until they finish up the regular season against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night.
To put it simply, if the Oilers defeat the Canucks, in any fashion, they will clinch second place in the Pacific and will play on Monday. If they lose to the Canucks and both the Kings and Ducks win their final regular-season games, Edmonton will begin on Sunday.
We will not know the entire first-round schedule until after the final game of the regular season is played later tonight.
According to HockeyStats.com, the odds of who Edmonton could face have shifted as follows:
- Anaheim Ducks: 60 per cent
- LA Kings: 33 per cent
- Colorado Avalanche: 7 per cent
The Avalanche would have home-ice advantage over the Oilers, no matter what. Home ice is still to be determined with the Ducks and Kings.
Many fans will be hoping that the Oilers can avoid the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche, and there is no doubt an appetite to avoid a fifth-straight playoff meeting with the Kings.
All will be clear soon.