Some positive news for the Edmonton Oilers leading up to one of their final games of the regular season.
After morning skate, head coach Kris Knoblauch revealed that defenceman Mattias Ekholm and goaltender Stuart Skinner will be dressing on Friday night when the Oilers take on the San Jose Sharks.
Knoblauch also stated that forward Leon Draisaitl will be out of the lineup once again, though he is expected to play before the end of the regular season.
Per Knoblauch:
– Ekholm is in
– Skinner is the backup tonight and will get two of the last four starts; starting goalie for the playoffs TBD
– Draisaitl is out; will play before end of regular season
– Frederic might not be able to play Game 1; Kane might but timeline TBD
— Daniel Nugent-Bowman (@DNBsports) April 11, 2025
Skinner won’t be playing on Friday, with Calvin Pickard making his seventh start in the team’s last eight games. Knoblauch says that Skinner will start two of the final four games of the regular season, with the bench boss having yet to make a decision on who will be the starter once the postseason gets going.
Skinner has been battling an upper-body injury since getting hurt against the Dallas Stars on March 26. In 49 games, the 26-year-old has a record of 24-18-4 with a 2.91 goals-against average, a .894 save percentage and two shutouts.
Ekholm also hasn’t played since March 26, with an undisclosed injury keeping him out of action. The Swedish blueliner has had to miss a total of 14 games this season due to both injury and illness. The 34-year-old has scored nine goals and 24 assists for 33 points, with a plus/minus of +11.
When speaking to the media on Friday, Draisaitl admitted that he’d “like a couple of games” before the playoffs. The German star has been in and out of the lineup for the past month. After missing four games in March, he returned to notch his 50th goal of the season against the Calgary Flames. However, another undisclosed injury suffered against the Sharks last Friday has taken Draisaitl out of action once again.
Draisaitl leads the NHL in goals (52) and is third in points (106) behind Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon and Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov, who are tied with 116 apiece.
Other notes from the Knoblauch’s availability is that forward Trent Frederic might not be ready to go by Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but Evander Kane might be ready to by Round 1. However, his timeline is yet to be determined.
Frederic finally made his debut with the Oilers last Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings but reportedly reinjured his ankle in the loss. Kane hasn’t played all season as he’s been recovering from multiple injuries. The veteran had been skating recently, showing signs that he’s closing in on his return.
The Oilers (45-28-5) can clinch a playoff spot if they grab a point against the Sharks or if the Flames lose to the Minnesota Wild in any fashion.
