from Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun,

Thirty-seven years to the day after winning their first Stanley Cup championship, the Edmonton Oilers set out in search of their next one Wednesday at Rogers Place.

Opening their first playoff series since the two-round run in 2017, and eager to show the hockey world just how they’ve evolved as a team, the Oilers saw firsthand what they already knew going in — this isn’t going to be easy.

Not even against an injured team they were 7-2 against in the regular season.

The Winnipeg Jets turned out to be exactly what they said they’d be in their 4-1 victory in Game 1, a solid, hungry team determined to prove the playoffs are an entirely different battleground than the one Edmonton dominated in the regular season.

And they did. Jets forward Dominic Toninato broke a 1-1 tie at 9:16 of the third period and Kyle Connor and Blake Wheeler sealed it with empty netters to give the Jets first blood in their North Division semifinal.

“It’s playoff hockey, it’s tight,” said Oilers coach Dave Tippett, who wasn’t unhappy with how his club played in a game that was a coin toss until the final minutes.

“They got a break on the winning goal and the first empty netter hits the referee. The way games are, they’re going to be tight. You have to capitalize on your chances.

“There are some things we can do better, but that’s how it’s going to be — it’s going to be tight hockey. We like what we’ve done all year. We have a confident group. We’ll re-rack and be ready for Game 2.”

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Game highlights are below.