THE Edmonton Oilers will be without one of its most important players in the latter part of its playoff campaign.
Star forward Leon Draisaitl is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season with a lower-body injury, the team announced Tuesday. Draisaitl, whose 97 points in 65 games rank second on the Oilers this season, suffered a tough hit from Nashville Predators Ozzy Wiesblatt in the first period of Sunday’s 3-1 win. Although he returned to the ice for a few more appearances in the first period, Draisaitl did not return to the game once the second period began.
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters Sunday that “it shouldn’t be a very long-term injury,” judging from information provided to him by the team’s medical staff.
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“No immediate red flags,” Knoblauch said. “…There may be some free time, but we’ll find out later.”
Draisaitl’s absence comes at a pivotal moment in the Oilers’ heated playoff run (33-26-9). With 14 games left in the season, they enter Tuesday in third place in the Pacific Division, behind the first-place Anaheim Ducks by two points and the second-place Vegas Golden Knights by one point. They currently hold a four-point advantage over the Seattle Kraken and Los Angeles Kings for the final Western Conference wildcard spot, with the San Jose Sharks one point behind them.
If the Oilers reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the seventh straight year, it will be without the player who was responsible for 41% of their goals this season.
Draisaitl was a finalist for the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player last season as the Oilers made it to the Stanley Cup Final. he won the award in 2020.
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This article was originally published on USA TODAY: Leon Draisaitl injury update: Edmonton Oilers receive bad news regarding star
