Ducks to Face Oilers in Round One of 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs

(Perry Nelson-Imagn Images)

It came down to Game 82, but the Ducks now know their first playoff opponent since 2018. They’ll be heading north of the border to face the Edmonton Oilers, the first time these teams have faced each other in the playoffs since 2017.

That series went to seven games, with the Ducks vanquishing their Game 7 demons and advancing to the Western Conference Final. The iconic “Comeback on Katella” also occurred during that series, when Corey Perry scored in double overtime of Game 5 to give the Ducks a 3-2 series lead. They had scored thrice in the final 3:16 of the third period to send the game to overtime.

The Ducks no longer have any remnants from that series after goaltender John Gibson was traded to the Detroit Red Wings this past summer. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Darnell Nurse all remain from that Oilers team.

Edmonton is attempting to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the third consecutive time. Both times resulted in a loss to the Florida Panthers. However, the Panthers were stricken by injuries for most of the season, losing their captain Aleksander Barkov to an ACL and MCL tear in September, and missed the playoffs entirely. Could this be the year that the Oilers reach the summit? They’ll have to get past the Ducks (and two more rounds) first before they can think about that.