Oilers round one playoff schedule: Game 1 begins Monday with Michaels, DeBrusk on the call

The Edmonton Oilers‘ first-round playoff series against the Anaheim Ducks will begin on Monday. 

The full NHL playoff schedule is now out, with games beginning as early as Saturday. After defeating the Vancouver Canucks 6-1 on Thursday night, the Oilers secured home ice advantage in round one. The Ducks clinched the three-seed in the Pacific Division with a 5-4 victory over the Nashville Predators. 

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.

• Game 1: Monday, April 20, 8 p.m. 
• Game 2: Wednesday, April 22, 8 p.m. 
• Game 3: Friday, April 24, 8 p.m. 
• Game 4: Sunday, April 26, 7:30 p.m. 
• Game 5: Tuesday, April 28, TBD 
• Game 6: Thursday, April 30, TBD 
• Game 7: Saturday, May 2, TBD 

Rogers confirmed on Friday that the Oilers broadcast team of play-by-play announcer Jack Michaels and colour commentator Louie DeBrusk will provide game coverage. Reporter Scott Oake will be on hand.

The Oilers’ pursuit of a Stanley Cup will begin with a series against the Los Angeles Kings for the first time in five years.

Canadian teams

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.

These teams finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in overall league standings. 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. 

The Ottawa Senators’ 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. 

Other matchups

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.

In the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Kings couldn’t 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’ll draw the Colorado Avalanche in the first round, beginning Sunday afternoon.

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.

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.