Anaheim Ducks vs. Edmonton Oilers Game 1 Prediction, NHL Playoff Odds
The final series in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs gets underway on Monday night when the Edmonton Oilers host the Anaheim Ducks.
These teams enter the playoffs in completely different positions. The Oilers came up just short in the Stanley Cup Final in each of the last two seasons, while the Ducks haven’t made the playoffs since 2018 and haven’t won a playoff game since 2017.
Edmonton is a -180 favourite to win Game 1 on the NHL odds, with the total set at 6.5.
Ducks vs. Oilers NHL Betting Odds
It’s been a long wait for the playoffs in Anaheim as the team has finally broken a seven-year streak of no spring hockey. The Ducks last faced the Oilers in a playoff series in 2017, winning in seven games before losing to Nashville in the Western Conference Finals.
Edmonton has been a perennial playoff contender with seven straight trips to the postseason. The Oilers have been frustratingly close to winning it all as they’ve been eliminated by the eventual Stanley Cup Champion in each of the last four seasons (Florida in 2025, 2024, Vegas in 2023, Colorado in 2022).
Edmonton won two of three games during the regular season, both on home ice. With skilled offence and questionable goaltending on both sides, the average goals per game in those three meetings was 9.33.
Experience always matters in oddsmakers’ eyes, so it’s no surprise to see the Oilers enter as -235 favourites to win the series on the NHL futures board, while Anaheim is a +195 underdog. The favoured exact series result is an Edmonton win in six games at +375.
Anaheim Ducks
Cutter Gauthier stirs the drink when it comes to the Ducks after leading the team in goals (41) and points (69) during the regular season. Gauthier has also proven to have the clutch gene with seven game-winners. Fellow young gun Leo Carlsson has also been key to Anaheim’s offence, sitting second in points with 67 (29G, 38A).
Lukas Dostal will handle the crease for the Ducks. Playing in his second full season as Anaheim’s starter, Dostal went 30-20-4 with a 3.10 goals-against average and .888 save percentage. The 25-year-old shores up a defence that blends young skill (Jackson LaCombe) with veteran dependability (John Carlson).
One thing to remember is, never count the Ducks out in this series. Anaheim tied Montreal for most comeback wins in the NHL this season (26), posting 17 one-goal comebacks and nine two-goal comebacks. And one of the Ducks’ biggest superpowers is playing in close games as they went 24-6-6 in one-goal games.
Edmonton Oilers
It all starts with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl when you talk about the Oilers. McDavid is in full beast mode at the moment and just won his sixth career Art Ross Trophy with 138 points (48G, 90A), but there’s concern about Draisaitl. The Hulking German missed the last 14 games of the regular season and he is listed as questionable to play Game 1.
It’s deja vu all over again for Edmonton as the biggest question mark heading into the playoffs is once again goaltending. Connor Ingram is locked in as the No. 1 ahead of the struggling Tristan Jarry. Ingram (16-10-3, 2.60 GAA, .899 SV) hasn’t put up otherworldly numbers, but he’s clearly been better than Jarry (9-6-2, 3.86 GAA, .858 SV).
Even if Draisaitl misses the start of this series, the Oilers will be just fine with McDavid humming the way he is. McDavid has factored in on a ridiculous 48.9 per cent of Edmonton’s goals this season, more than any player in the league, and he recorded a point in all 41 of the Oilers’ wins.
