Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl out Saturday vs. Kings with lower-body injury
The Edmonton Oilers will have to play without the league’s top scorer for at least one more game.
The Edmonton Oilers will have to play without the league’s top scorer for at least one more game.
Leon Draisaitl won’t play against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday and will likely miss Monday’s action against the Anaheim Ducks, head coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters Friday.
However, he is expected to return well before playoffs and the injury is considered short-term.
The NHL’s leading goal-scorer appeared to be injured midway through the second period of the Oilers’ 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Thursday.
Knoblauch classifies this as a lower-body injury, though the star forward missed four games last month with an undisclosed injury.
Draisaitl has 52 goals on the season and is third in the league for points with 102.
Draisaitl’s injury is another blow to the Oilers, who have also been without captain Connor McDavid since he sustained a lower-body ailment March 20.
Goaltender Stuart Skinner and defencemen Mattias Ekholm and John Klingberg are also injured, and not with the Oilers on their current road trip.
Still, the Oilers have won three straight and seven of their last 10 heading into their game against the Kings. Edmonton is just two points back of Los Angeles for second place in the Pacific Division with seven games to go in the regular season.
Trent Frederic is considered as a slight possibility for Sunday’s game, per Knoblauch. If he plays, it will be his debut in an Oilers uniform after he was traded to the team at the deadline from the Boston Bruins. He has been dealing with ankle issues that have kept him off the ice.
— With files from Canadian Press
