It may have taken until the bitter end of the regular season, but we finally have a confirmed opponent for the opening round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. And somehow, it is not the Los Angeles Kings. Yes, you read that right. After four consecutive years of an Oilers-Kings opening round, that rivalry will take a brief hiatus as the Oilers face off against the Anaheim Ducks instead. About as close as possible without actually facing the Kings, geographically anyways.
This is the first time the Ducks have made the playoffs since 2017–18. And the first time these two teams have played in the playoffs since the second round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs. You might remember that for the ‘What do we tell Corey?’ moment.
As for the Oilers, this is their seventh consecutive postseason berth as they look to make a deep run for the fourth consecutive season, maybe even finally breaking through and lifting Lord Stanley’s Cup. Edmonton finished second in the Pacific Division for the sixth time in those seven seasons.
Edmonton Oilers versus Anaheim Ducks matchup overview