{"id":554993,"date":"2026-04-18T03:42:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T03:42:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/554993\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T03:42:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T03:42:34","slug":"oilers-round-one-playoff-schedule-game-1-begins-monday-with-michaels-debrusk-on-the-call","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/554993\/","title":{"rendered":"Oilers round one playoff schedule: Game 1 begins Monday with Michaels, DeBrusk on the call"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Oilers round one playoff schedule: Game 1 begins Monday with Michaels, DeBrusk on the call<\/p>\n<p>The <a class=\"text-accent\" href=\"https:\/\/oilersnation.com\/edmonton-oilers-line-combinations\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Edmonton Oilers<\/a>\u2018 first-round playoff series against the Anaheim Ducks will begin on Monday.\u00a0The full NHL playoff schedule is now out, with games beginning as early as Saturday. After defeating the <a class=\"text-accent\" href=\"https:\/\/oilersnation.com\/news\/edmonton-oilers-cruise-past-vancouver-canucks-regular-season-finale\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Vancouver Canucks<\/a>\u00a06-1 on Thursday night, the Oilers secured <a class=\"text-accent\" href=\"https:\/\/oilersnation.com\/news\/edmonton-oilers-face-anaheim-ducks-first-round-2026-nhl-playoffs-matchup\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">home ice advantage<\/a> in round one. The Ducks clinched the three-seed in the Pacific Division with a 5-4 victory over the Nashville Predators.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>With home ice advantage, the Oilers will host Game 1, 2, 5, and 7, if necessary. Games will be played every other day, as this series has the latest start date.<\/p>\n<p>Game 1: Monday, April 20, 8 p.m.\u00a0Game 2: Wednesday, April 22, 8 p.m.\u00a0Game 3: Friday, April 24, 8 p.m.\u00a0Game 4: Sunday, April 26, 7:30 p.m.\u00a0Game 5: Tuesday, April 28, TBD\u00a0Game 6: Thursday, April 30, TBD\u00a0Game 7: Saturday, May 2, TBD\u00a0Rogers confirmed on Friday that the Oilers <a class=\"text-accent\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rogerssportsandmedia.com\/the-latest\/sportsnet-announces-2026-stanley-cup-playoffs-first-round-coverage-details-beginning-april-18\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">broadcast team<\/a> of play-by-play announcer Jack Michaels and colour commentator Louie DeBrusk will provide game coverage. Reporter Scott Oake will be on hand.<\/p>\n<p>The Oilers\u2019 pursuit of a Stanley Cup will begin with a series against a team who isn\u2019t the Los Angeles Kings for the first time in five years.<\/p>\n<p>Canadian teams<\/p>\n<p>On the east coast, the Montreal Canadiens will get a rare Stanley Cup rematch in round one, facing the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2-3 matchup in the Atlantic Division. <\/p>\n<p>These teams finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in overall <a class=\"text-accent\" href=\"https:\/\/oilersnation.com\/nhl-standings\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">league standings<\/a>. Montreal and Tampa Bay met in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. Chris Cuthbert will have the play-by-play call with analyst Craig Simpson and reporter Kyle Bukauskas.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Ottawa Senators\u2019 matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes gets the playoff action started on Saturday afternoon. The eight-seeded Sens will look to upset the top-seeded Canes after a strong run to finish the season. John Bartlett will handle play-by-play duties with Garry Galley doing colour and reporter Shawn McKenzie on-scene.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Other matchups<\/p>\n<p>In the Pacific Division, the Vegas Golden Knights secured the top-seed in the division, and will play the Utah Mammoth, the top conference wildcard. Rogers will provide coverage with Harnarayan Singh and John Garrett, Dan Murphy reporting.<\/p>\n<p>In the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Kings couldn\u2019t climb out of the wildcard with a loss in game 82 against the Calgary Flames, plus not holding any tiebreakers due to their lack of regulation wins. That means they\u2019ll draw the Colorado Avalanche in the first round, beginning Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n<p>The most anticipated series may be the Dallas Stars against the Minnesota Wild, which begins Saturday afternoon. Locked into this matchup seemingly for months, the Central Division sets up to be another grind.<\/p>\n<p>The Buffalo Sabres against the Boston Bruins begins on Sunday evening. The Battle of Pennsylvania between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers will begin on Saturday night.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"797\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" style=\"color:transparent;max-width:100%;height:auto;object-fit:cover;object-position:top;background-size:cover;background-position:top;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image\/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' viewBox='0 0 1024 797'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'\/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'\/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'\/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'\/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3C\/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAYAAAAfFcSJAAAADUlEQVR42mPMyc35DwAE2AJG6zh9WgAAAABJRU5ErkJggg=='\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E&quot;)\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776483751_51_image.webp\"\/> <img alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"750\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" style=\"color:transparent;max-width:100%;height:auto;object-fit:cover;object-position:top;background-size:cover;background-position:top;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image\/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' viewBox='0 0 1024 750'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'\/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'\/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'\/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'\/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3C\/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAYAAAAfFcSJAAAADUlEQVR42mPMyc35DwAE2AJG6zh9WgAAAABJRU5ErkJggg=='\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E&quot;)\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776483753_887_image.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Michael Menzies is an Oilersnation columnist and co-host of PreGaming and Oilersnation After Dark. He\u2019s also been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. With seven years of news experience as the Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, Menzies collects vinyl, books, and stomach issues. Follow him on X at Menzies_4.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>PRESENTED BY LeaseBusters<img alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"205\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" style=\"color:transparent;max-width:100%;height:auto;object-fit:cover;object-position:top;background-size:cover;background-position:top;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image\/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' viewBox='0 0 1024 205'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'\/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'\/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'\/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'\/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3C\/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAYAAAAfFcSJAAAADUlEQVR42mPMyc35DwAE2AJG6zh9WgAAAABJRU5ErkJggg=='\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E&quot;)\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776483754_772_image.webp\"\/>LeaseBusters\u00a0is Canada\u2019s premier lease takeover marketplace, helping drivers get out of their current vehicle leases without costly penalties or negative equity. Instead of paying thousands to break a lease, sellers connect with qualified buyers ready to take it over\u2014saving money and avoiding financial stress. Buyers benefit from shorter-term commitments and often better monthly payments, while dealerships retain a replacement customer and leasing companies keep contracts active. It\u2019s a smarter, more efficient solution for everyone involved. Four parties, four wins\u2014only with LeaseBusters.\u00a0 For more information, check out\u00a0<a class=\"text-accent\" href=\"http:\/\/www.leasebusters.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">www.LeaseBusters.com.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Oilers round one playoff schedule: Game 1 begins Monday with Michaels, DeBrusk on the call The Edmonton Oilers\u2018&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4979,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5125],"tags":[198,146,5300,5,4,24],"class_list":{"0":"post-554993","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-edmonton-oilers","8":"tag-edmonton","9":"tag-edmonton-oilers","10":"tag-edmontonoilers","11":"tag-hockey","12":"tag-nhl","13":"tag-oilers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116423649142079158","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554993","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=554993"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554993\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=554993"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=554993"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=554993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}