PREVIEW: Oilers vs. Ducks (Game 1)

The Edmonton Oilers will host the Anaheim Ducks in Game 1 of their first-round series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Monday at Rogers Place.

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PREVIEW: Oilers vs. Ducks (Game 1)

EDMONTON, AB – Here we go again, Oil Country.

Having gone all the way to the Stanley Cup Final the past two seasons, the Edmonton Oilers will begin another quest to lift hockey's holy grail on Monday at Rogers Place when they host the Anaheim Ducks in Game 1 of their first-round series.

"It's exciting," Connor Ingram said. "It's been a while since I've played playoff hockey, so it's good to be back. It's good to be a part of it, and this is what you play for."

The city of Edmonton is set to awaken once again with the start of the playoffs as the passion of the best fans in the NHL returns to bring back the most feverish atmosphere in hockey that’ll be centred down in ICE District inside the Moss Pit and Rogers Place.

For the Oilers, the players who’ve experienced the passion and energy multiple times can’t wait to latch onto the mayhem that is playoff season in Edmonton, looking to feed off their fans and share it with those in the locker room who haven't felt it before.

“It's that feeling beyond excitement that never goes away,” Leon Draisaitl said. “You can do this as many times as you want, but that first game – any game really, especially at home – it’s so special with these fans in here. I’m excited for some of our guys that haven't played a lot of playoff hockey to get to see it, and that's always fun.”

The air of playoff hockey was around Sunday’s practice for the Oilers’ coaches and players, who traded the grind of the regular season for the excitement of the postseason after learning over two straight trips to the Stanley Cup Final that this is when it matters the most.

“You could tell the guys were itching for the playoffs to start, and it's a long season for any team in the NHL,” Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. “There are a lot of games, but it's even longer when you play as long as you have the last two years, playing until the end of June and then a couple months later, you're back at it again.

“As much as these guys love playing the game, are competitive and want to win every single night, it is difficult to get up for those long stretches, especially when they're looking at the playoffs and what they can do. Everyone's excited and ready for this.  It's been on their mind for a while. I think we've got another level to reach.”

A player who looks close to making his return to the playoffs (and the lineup) based on Sunday's final full-team skate is Leon Draisaitl, who was skating between Vasily Podkolzin and Kasperi Kapanen on the second line for the second practice in a row.

Draisaitl missed the final 14 games of the regular season with an injury he sustained from a hit taken during a 3-1 win over the Nashville Predators on Mar. 15, but has been back practicing since the start of Edmonton's final homestand of the regular season.

Both the German and Coach Knoblauch were non-committal about his Game 1 status.

“It's been good,” Draisaitl said. “Our staff, mainly (strength and conditioning coach Chad Drummond and assistant athletic therapist Chris Davie), have done an amazing job being patient with me and looking at everything that there is to look at.  So I'm very grateful for those two and everyone else who was involved with it.”

“It's lonely times when you're hurt, and guys are on the road. You're kind of grinding by yourself, so I'm happy where it's at right now.  We'll see how it evolves and how I feel tomorrow.”

Jason Dickinson was also on the ice for the first time since blocking a shot on Apr. 8 in a 5-2 win over the San Jose Sharks, with the centre taking rushes on the third line alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jack Roslovic.

All signs point to the Oilers being close to full health to begin the playoffs, after they started last year's first-round series with the Kings with question marks surrounding Mattias Ekholm, Jake Walman, Trent Frederic and John Klingberg.

"Obviously, health is a big thing," Connor McDavid said. "Health throughout the playoffs is important, and the team that can stay the healthiest usually has a good chance. So you want to be healthy on day one, and we're getting closer and closer to that."

It’s a fresh opponent in the Ducks for the Oilers to face in the first round after facing the Los Angeles Kings in each of the last four years – winning each series – but not an entirely new opponent following their previous two meetings with Anaheim in 2006 and 2017. The Oilers prevailed in five games in 2006, but came out on the losing side of a Game 7 against the Ducks in the second round back in 2017.

Edmonton finished 2-1-0 in the regular-season series with Anaheim over three games that featured a combined 28 goals and are looking to show their playoff experience over a Ducks team that's back in the playoffs for the first time since 2018.

"One extra year of experience always helps," Draisaitl said. "But at the end of the day, when the puck drops, both teams are going to go at it.  Both teams are going to try to establish their game. Every series, every game, every playoff run kind of writes its own story and plays out differently.  So tomorrow is obviously a big one, and we're looking to get off to a good start."