The Western Conference Final between Edmonton and Dallas has already drawn the ire of Oilers fans when they got a look at the schedule Saturday night.
While Game 1 of the series kicks off in Dallas Wednesday set for a 6:00 pm MST puck drop and Game 2 goes two nights later at the same time, but Game 3, when the two teams return to Edmonton, is scheduled for…. 1 pm MST?
It’s not entirely uncommon for there to be afternoon puck drops in the playoffs. In the first round, Tampa Bay and Florida’s Game 3 had a 1 pm MST start, while Game 4 between Carolina and New Jersey started at 1:30 pm MST.
Out west, Winnipeg and St. Louis played Game 4 with an 11:00 am MST start, and Game 4 between Vegas and Minnesota went at 2:00 pm MST. In the second round, Game 3 between Winnipeg and Dallas started at 1:00 pm MST.
Game 3 between the Oilers and Stars is set to be carried on ABC and ESPN in the United States, and as pointed out by Oilersnation’s Jason Gregor, they love their Sunday matinee games south of the border — clearly more than those north of it do.
Matinee games haven’t always been kind to the Oilers, who went 4-5-1 in them this season as a whole. But when they were on home ice, make no mistake: the Oilers showed up, going 3-0 and beating the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0, the San Jose Sharks 3-2 in overtime and the Buffalo Sabres 3-2.
There’s no denying this will be an exciting series between the two teams. Edmonton shook off two losses to start round one against the Los Angeles Kings, roaring back with four straight come-from-behind wins, meeting and dispatching the Vegas Golden Knights in five games in the second round. Dallas, meanwhile, has been propped up by Mikko Rantanen’s nine goals and 19 points, beating the Colorado Avalanche in seven games in the first round and the Winnipeg Jets in six games in the second round.
These two teams met last year in the Western Conference Final with the Oilers winning the series in six games.
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