Avalanche news: Chaos in Oilers-Ducks series could lead to unexpected opponent

Just a few hours after the Colorado Avalanche had locked up their ticket to the second round in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, a chaotic ending to Game 4 between the Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers capped the gameday.

The Ducks pulled off a big comeback win, taking a 3-1 series lead with a 4-3 overtime win. But it was the overtime goal that ignited a firestorm of controversy. Check out the goal:

The debate here is not whether it was a goal or not. The question is whether the Ducks are on the verge of pulling off one of the most surprising upsets this postseason. If that’s the case, the Avalanche could have an unexpected playoff opponent.

As it stands, the Avs are on track to play the Wild or Stars in the second round. But assuming the Avalanche make it to the Western Conference Final, they’ll face the winner of the Pacific Division side of the bracket.

With the Ducks potentially upsetting the Oilers, the Utah Mammoth could also upset the Vegas Golden Knights. Utah has a 2-1 lead over Vegas, with Game 4 of their series coming up on Monday night.

Assuming the Ducks close out their series, they would face the winner of the Mammoth-Vegas series. That situation sets up the possibility of an unexpected opponent for Colorado. If Utah upsets Vegas, a possible Mammoth-Ducks second-round series would surely yield a surprising Western Conference Final foe for the Avalanche.

That’s why Avalanche fans need to keep an eye on the Pacific Division playoff battle. Two young, upstart teams are making life impossible for older, veteran squads. While the Avalanche are not “old,” they are a veteran squad. And judging from the current state of affairs in these other Western Conference series, the Avalanche had better take note.

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