The Edmonton Oilers had gotten used to beginning the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a matchup against the Los Angeles Kings, as the teams met in the first round of each of the last four postseasons. That specific streak is over, so the Oilers have to settle for an opening-round showdown with a team that resides only 25 miles from Los Angeles.
Edmonton begins its quest for a third consecutive appearance in the Stanley Cup Final when it faces off against the Anaheim Ducks in a 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs first-round series that gets under way on Monday. The Oilers, who also reached the Final three times in a row from 1983-85, had their run of four straight first-round meetings with the Kings halted as Los Angeles finished two points behind third-place Anaheim in the Pacific Division and landed in the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
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The Oilers and Ducks both won their regular-season finales but struggled down the stretch. Edmonton won only two of its last six games (2-2-2), while Anaheim went 2-6-2 over its final 10.
Oilers captain Connor McDavid didn’t falter, however, as he collected five goals and seven assists over his final five outings to finish with 138 points and win the Art Ross Trophy for the sixth time in his career, joining Gordie Howe and Mario Lemieux for second-most behind Wayne Gretzky (10).
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The Ducks, who ended their eight-year playoff drought, haven’t won a postseason series since defeating the Oilers in seven games in their 2017 second-round series. Anaheim also hasn’t won a playoff contest since defeating the Nashville Predators in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final that postseason, as it lost the last two games of that series and was swept by the San Jose Sharks in the opening round the following year.
The victory over Edmonton in 2017 evened things between the clubs, as the Oilers defeated the Ducks when they met in the playoffs for the first time in the 2006 Western Conference Final. Edmonton went 2-1-0 against Anaheim in 2025-26, with the home team winning each contest.
NHL betting odds at the major sportsbooks see the Oilers as massive favorites in the first-round series, with futures betting odds in the -220 to -245 range. Meanwhile, the Ducks are priced from +180 to +198. Learn how to read betting odds here.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST-ROUND SERIES
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TEAM
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DRAFTKINGS
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FANDUEL
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CAESARS
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BETMGM
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Edmonton Oilers
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-220
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-245
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-225
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-235
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Anaheim Ducks
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+180
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+198
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+185
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+195
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Pick: Oilers to advance
Edmonton boasts a Hart Trophy contender in McDavid and has a challenger for the Norris Trophy in Evan Bouchard, who led all NHL defensemen during the regular season with a career-high 95 points. The 26-year-old also recorded personal bests of 21 goals and 74 assists, which was tops among all blue-liners.
Zach Hyman (31 goals) is another dangerous offensive weapon for the Oilers, but the club is hoping to have the services of its second-most threatening player in Leon Draisaitl. The 30-year-old German, who reached the 35-goal plateau for the seventh time in eight seasons, landed on the score sheet in his last nine games but missed Edmonton’s final 14 with a lower-body injury.
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The Oilers have had an extremely potent power play in the playoffs of late, but their biggest flaw has been goaltending, and the situation hasn’t improved much heading into this postseason. Edmonton traded the maligned Stuart Skinner to the Pittsburgh Penguins in December for Tristan Jarry, who struggled mightily with his new team as he posted a 3.86 goals-against average and .858 save percentage over 19 appearances (16 starts). Connor Ingram (2.60 GAA, .899 SP) likely will be first to get the nod against Anaheim, but the 29-year-old is 0-3 with a 3.64 GAA in three career playoff starts — all in 2022 with Nashville.
That’s good news for the Ducks, who are led offensively by Cutter Gauthier (team highs of 41 goals and 69 points), Leo Carlsson (67 points) and 20-year-old Beckett Sennecke, who shared the NHL rookie lead with 23 goals and was second in both assists (37) and points (60). But that trio has no playoff experience, and neither does goaltender Lukas Dostal (3.59 GAA in 11 career games against Edmonton), so picking Anaheim to upset the two-time defending conference champs isn’t something I can do.
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