Dickinson shines in return

Jason Dickinson scored twice in Edmonton’s 4-3 Game 1 win over Anaheim on Monday, his first Stanley Cup Playoff game since 2020. (nhl.com) Dickinson opened the scoring on a first-period breakaway and tied the game 3-3 in the third before Kasperi Kapanen scored the winner with 1:54 left at Rogers Place. (nhl.com) The game was Dickinson’s first after injury uncertainty entering the opener, and coach Kris Knoblauch said before puck drop that both Dickinson and Leon Draisaitl were game-time decisions. Draisaitl returned too and finished with two assists. (nhl.com) Dickinson had not appeared in a playoff game since 2020, when he was with the Dallas Stars during their run to the Stanley Cup Final. NHL.com said he had waited six years for another postseason game. (nhl.com) Edmonton entered the series after finishing second in the Pacific Division with 93 points, one point ahead of Anaheim, which finished third with 92. That made Game 1 the start of a tight first-round matchup, not a top-versus-underdog pairing. (espn.com) The Ducks erased a 2-0 deficit with three straight goals in the second period, including one from Troy Terry, before Dickinson’s second goal pulled Edmonton level late in the third. Anaheim led for much of the final period and left with the series deficit instead. (nhl.com) Edmonton had reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2024 and returned to the playoffs this spring with several lineup questions, including Dickinson’s health. His two goals gave the Oilers immediate production from outside their star core in the opener. (sportsnet.ca) Dickinson told NHL.com that “it was a lot of fun” to be back in a playoff game, and Edmonton took a 1-0 series lead into Game 2 on Wednesday, April 22. (nhl.com)