Some of the Edmonton Oilers best players in Game 1 were the few making their playoff debuts at Rogers Place.

Like Connor Ingram, who made 25 saves for his first playoff win, including all 10 stops in the third period. The true Edmonton home ice advantage experience was on full display as the Oilers claimed a 4-3 victory.

“It was awesome. The bulk of my career I played at Mullett Arena, so to walk out the tunnel today was a different animal,” said Ingram after the game, referencing the former home of the Arizona Coyotes that seated just 5000 spectators.

“It was loud in there. After the anthem, one thing I always do is just kind of smile and take it all in….that was cool.”

A subtle, quick wit from the Oilers’ starting goaltender, who hadn’t played in the postseason since the 2021-22 season with the Nashville Predators. Despite starting three of those games, Ingram had a bagel in the win column, despite a .913 save percentage in his playoff career before Monday night.

Jason Dickinson’s wait for another playoff chance was even longer. As a Dallas Star in the Edmonton COVID Bubble in 2020, Dickinson went to the Stanley Cup Final, but without any fans in the building.

After playoff-less stops in Vancouver and Chicago, seven seasons later, Dickinson felt the energy. He scored two crucial goals, doubling his offensive output in one playoff game, as opposed to the 17 regular-season games before it.

“I kind of chuckled at it early on because I thought I would be back, and then five years went by, and I hadn’t seen playoffs,” he said about the gap between playoff seasons.

He had a major impact for a guy who we weren’t sure would be playing in Game 1, fighting his way back from injury after missing almost two weeks with a lower-body injury.

Dickinson grimaced after falling awkwardly following a faceoff against Tim Washe in the second period. But he stayed on the bench. He was going to gut it out.

“There was no way I was not playing, whatever I had to do I was going to be out there,” Dickinson said. “I got a taste of it (playoffs) years ago and man this is this fun. It’s the best time of the year. You fight all year for this. I was told early on that you have to savor it because you never know if you’ll be back.”

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