logo
OilersNation has no direct affiliation to the Edmonton Oilers, Oilers Entertainment Group, NHL, or NHLPA
NHL Notebook: First round of Oilers’ playoffs to begin Sunday or Monday, Blue Jackets sign Bowness to extension
Edmonton OIlers
Photo credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Alicia LaBine
Apr 16, 2026, 18:00 EDTUpdated: Apr 16, 2026, 18:28 EDT
Comments
The NHL released its 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs schedule today with the Edmonton Oilers’ playoff position up in the air ahead of tonight’s matchup against the Vancouver Canucks.
Teams in the top three seeds of each division have received the start date of their first-round playoff schedule Thursday. However, the Pacific Division still remains almost entirely undecided, as the only team to solidify its positioning in the standings so far has been the Vegas Golden Knights.
They will face the Utah Mammoth, with the series beginning on April 19. It marks the first time the Mammoth have earned a post-season berth. The President’s Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche will kick off their series on the 19th as well, while the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild go to battle on the 18th.
Out east, the Ottawa Senators and Carolina Hurricanes start their series at 1 p.m. MT on April 18, with the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins starting that night. The Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning, meanwhile, start their series on the 19th.
Currently, the Oilers are hoping for a Monday night matchup. This would mean they’ve missed the second wild card position, which would result in them playing against the Avalanche.
With a win or an overtime loss against the Canucks tonight, the Oilers would clinch home ice for the first round against either the Los Angeles Kings or the Anaheim Ducks. On the other hand, if the Oilers do not win tonight and both the Kings and Ducks do, the Oilers will face off against the Avalanche for the first time in the playoffs since being swept by them in 2022.
Puck drop times for Sunday and Monday will not be announced until Thursday night, after the three teams finish their 82nd games of the season.
If the series ends up being between the Kings and Oilers, this would be the fifth straight year that the two teams meet at the front end of their playoff runs. If that were to happen, the Oilers hope that their success against this Californian team continues.

Rick Bowness extends with the Columbus Blue Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets have extended head coach Rick Bowness just days after he launched a fiery tirade about his team’s poor performance in their season finale.
Terms of his new deal aren’t known at the time of writing, but The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline broke the news on Thursday.
Bowness came out of retirement in January, coaching the team to a 19-3-4 record in their first 26 games, pushing the team from bottom feeders of the Metropolitan Division to playoff hopefuls. Despite that, the team fell off late in the year and finished the season seven points short of the second wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Blue Jackets have not made the playoffs since the makeshift 2020 post-season, and they will continue this streak into 2026. Due to the lack of success for the team, their fanbase has understandably developed a unique level of desperation.
Daily Faceoff’s Tyler Kuehl wrote about the potential controversy that could have proceeded this public challenge of the current culture in the Blue Jackets locker room.
The shocking slide led Bowness to call out his players after the season ended. After losing to the Washington Capitals in the Blue Jackets’ final game of year on Tuesday night, the 71-year-old bench boss made his frustrations known.
“I don’t know if I’m back, but if I’m back, I’m changing this culture,” Bowness said. “These guys, they don’t care. Losing is not important enough to them. It doesn’t bother them…How can you go out and play like that? Should have done this about a month ago, but this is why we are where we are. This is why we’re out of the playoffs, that kind of effort. Losing, you have to hate losing. I don’t care if it’s a meaningless game.”
Many thought the criticism would be enough for the Blue Jackets to go in a different direction. However, general manager Don Waddell seems content with keeping the veteran coach on board, at least to start next fall.
Despite Bowness’ tirade, he walked things back on Thursday when speaking to reporters about his return.
“There’s a pretty good team here,” Bowness said, via The Athletic, “and there are some really good pieces here. I heard a lot of great things about the character of the players, and that’s all been very, very true. They’ve been wonderful to work with. The part of coaching I missed most was the daily activity of working with the players.
“We had some success early and that made it a lot of fun, but it just scratched the itch. I’m anxious to come back and finish the job that I came here to do, and that’s to get the Columbus Blue Jackets in the playoffs.”
The final terms of this contract are still unknown, however, one thing is certain: Rick Bowness’s future lies in Columbus, Ohio.

Can the Avs make history?

The Colorado Avalanche are having another season that feels otherworldly.
Returning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for their eighth consecutive year, the 2022 Stanley Cup champions have positioned themselves to become the seventh team in the 21st century to achieve 120 points.
Currently, the Avalanche sit at 119 points as they head into their final game of the season against the Seattle Kraken on Thursday. At first glance, this seems like a game that the President’s Trophy holder would love to win, but some historical context around the 120 point mark could push those who believe in superstitions the other way.
Daily Faceoff’s Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton discussed the supposed 120-point curse during Daily Faceoff LIVE on Thursday’s episode.
Yaremchuk: Each of the last six teams in the NHL to break 120 points in the regular season, none of them made it past the second round, and four of the six lost out in the first round of the playoffs. What do you think that kind of says? Is there a comment there about teams not facing adversity, and not being in “playoff mode” in the final six weeks of the regular season? Is there anything there, or is it just a weird statistical anomaly?
Hutton: I do think there’s something there. It’s about playing it at the right time. On the flip side of that I think about the Columbus Blue Jackets running out of gas, and not being able to sustain that. It’s always my argument to non-hockey people, when they’re like “I only want to watch playoff hockey because it’s faster, or the Olympics. What if every game was like this?” There’s no sustainability in that. You wouldn’t have a team, your whole team would be hurt. There’s no way of doing it. Cranking it up on demand is tricky, but then also trying to sustain the way you’ve played. I think there is that happy medium, and I look at a few of these teams that have been winning as of late, trending in the right direction, like the Sens and like a few other teams in the league, that’s where it’s important, where you’ve already found your identity, there’s a trust framework where you’re feeding off each other.

OIL UP: THE OILERSNATION PLAYOFF COLLECTION IS HERE

Edmonton, the playoffs are calling—and it’s time to answer. We are so back, and Oilersnation is ready with the OIL UP playoff collection, available now. From tees and hoodies to hats built for every game-day fit, this drop has everything you need all postseason long. Whether you’re heading to a watch party, the rink, or setting up camp in front of the TV, consider this your official playoff uniform. Don’t wait—gear up before puck drop. Shop the full collection now at nationgear.ca

News

Uncategorized

Featured

MORE NEWS. IN YOUR INBOX.
CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Breaking News