Dickinson practiced for the first time since the end of the regular season on Sunday and was considered a game-time decision for Game 1.
His first goal came at 17:21 of the first period, taking a long breakaway pass from defenseman Jake Walman and shaking the equipment off goalie Lukas Dostal before lifting the puck in the net.
Dickinson’s second came at 11:30 of the third period, banging in a rebound off a shot from defenseman Mattias Ekholm to tie the game 3-3. Kasperi Kapanen scored the other two for Edmonton, including the game-winner at 18:06.
“In my mind, 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.
“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. You want to play in these moments, you want to play in these games because it makes everything worth it, all the bumps, bruises, the training, all the hours spent away from the family, not doing the things your friends are doing because you have something you’re chasing. It’s great to be a part of it and really, it’s all about going out there and competing with these guys.”
Dickinson last played in the playoffs in 2020, getting to the Stanley Cup Final with the Dallas Stars. The following year, Dallas missed the postseason and then Dickinson went on to play with the Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks.
The 30-year-old was on the road to missing the playoffs again this season before he was traded to the Oilers along with forward Colton Dach on March 5, for forward Andrew Mangiapane, and a conditional first-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.
Dickinson was the third-line center Edmonton was looking for in its quest to make it to the Stanley Cup Final for a third consecutive season. Whatever offense he can provide is a bonus.
“Your top players have to be your top players, but you’re not going anywhere if you don’t have guys like that chipping in,” said Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl, who also returned from injury Monday. “We don’t expect two goals from guys like that every night, of course, but you need that and both of them I thought played a (heck) of a game.”