Connor Ingram gave Kris Knoblauch exactly what the Oilers were looking for in Game 1: a sense of calm in a place that felt like it could explode with excitement.
This was the main point in Edmonton’s 4-3 victory over Anaheim. It wasn’t just that Ingram was the starting goalie, but also that he seemed comfortable in that high-pressure situation.
He saved 25 out of 28 shots in his first playoff game with the NHL, and those numbers alone don’t express how intense the situation really was. He helped keep the game steady when things began to go sideways.
This is important because Ingram is the most surprising starting goalie in this playoff season. He made it to this position after playing 161 games in the AHL, going through 5 different NHL teams, playing in Sweden, getting picked up on waivers, and facing more challenges than most starting goalies deal with.
The Oilers understand all of this. They also see how well he played towards the end of the regular season, when he had a . 923 save rate in his last 8 games.
That performance is why he is the starting goalie now. Edmonton didn’t just give him this role because of his background; they gave it to him because he proved he deserved it.
Before the series began, Connor Ingram caught everyone off guard with a message.
The best thing he said might have been before the games even started. He mentioned that his role doesn’t change, and that hockey is still just his job when he leaves the ice.
After the game, he seemed to have a different perspective.
“It was amazing,” he shared. “The noise in there was incredible. I really enjoyed it. After the national anthem, I found myself smiling and soaking it all in. There was a moment when I thought, ‘This is really cool. ’”
That positive attitude was noticeable throughout Game 1. Even when Anaheim scored 3 goals past him in the second period, he stayed calm and didn’t show any signs of being shaken.
The most important save happened with Beckett Sennecke when there was just under 9 minutes remaining. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins called it a moment that changed everything, and he was spot on. Just moments later, Edmonton tied the game.
Ingram has dealt with this type of pressure before, even if many fans may not remember it. Back during the 2022 playoffs with Nashville, he blocked 49 shots in a row against Colorado before losing 2-1 in overtime.
He mentioned that he still thinks about that game, especially the first goal that got by him, because it helps him remember what he can manage after that. That shows a goalie’s memory working well.
“I think about that first goal I let in a lot,” Ingram shared with The Athletic. “If it ever happens again, I can remind myself, ‘Well, you had 49 saves in a row, so why can’t you just do it again? ’ It’s one of those games I often think back to and can learn from, you could say.”
Mattias Ekholm summed it up well by saying that Ingram has always seen things from a bigger point of view. For the Oilers, this might be exactly why this can succeed in April.
Edmonton is not expecting Connor Ingram to be amazing every single night. They want him to stay calm in the loudest situations, and after one playoff game, he already seems ready for that challenge.
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