The Edmonton Oilers are headed back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but when will they take the ice for Game 1?
After Monday night, 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, the majority of 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. As of Tuesday afternoon, Edmonton could face five 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.
But we might have gotten a hint on Monday night. Veteran Oilers beat reporter Jim Matheson took to social media to share a scoop on the upcoming playoff schedule, stating that the Oilers are likely to begin the playoffs on Saturday.
I am hearing through somebody at nhl com Oilers would open Saturday not Sunday and playoffs would start Friday around league for Eastern Conf teams
— Jim Matheson (@jimmathesonnhl) April 14, 2026
That would mean the Oilers would get just one day off between their last regular-season game against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday and their playoff opener on Saturday.
We’ll see if this plan comes to fruition, given the Oilers could still open the playoffs in as many as five different arenas. Crypto.com Arena in L.A. currently has an LA Lakers NBA playoff game slated for Saturday night, and Ball Arena in Colorado is hosting a Denver Nuggets NBA playoff game on Saturday afternoon.
In Las Vegas, T-Mobile Arena has WWE events planned for Friday and Monday night. A Saturday start would mean that Game 2 would likely have to wait until Tuesday.
The Honda Center in Anaheim, as well as Rogers Place in Edmonton, currently don’t have events scheduled on Saturday.
The NHL is set to release the official first-round schedule on the final day of the regular season on Thursday.
The Oilers still have no idea who they will face or whether they will have home-ice advantage in the opening round. According to HockeyStats.com, the odds of who Edmonton could face have shifted as follows:
Anaheim Ducks: 43 per cent
LA Kings: 20 per cent
Colorado Avalanche: 10 per cent
Utah Mammoth: seven per cent
Vegas Golden Knights: six 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, Kings, and Golden Knights. If the Oilers meet the Mammoth in the playoffs, home ice advantage will be with Edmonton.
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 in a few days.