The Oilers will continue their four-game homestand on Tuesday when they host the San Jose Sharks, a team sitting on the playoff bubble. Edmonton will be without one of its top forwards, as Leon Draisaitl suffered an injury during Sunday’s win over Nashville.

San Jose Sharks at Edmonton Oilers

Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2026
Start Time: 7:00 PM MT
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Venue: Rogers Place
Watch: Sportsnet

1. This will be the fourth time this season that the Oilers play without Leon Draisaitl in the lineup. The former Hart Trophy winner was injured on a hit by Nashville forward Ozzy Wiesblatt during Edmonton’s 3-1 win over the Predators on Sunday, and there’s currently no timetable for his return.

Draisaitl also missed time in January while attending to a personal matter in Germany. The Oilers went 2-1 in his absence, hammering the Canucks and Blues by scores of 6-0 and 5-0 on back-to-back nights before dropping a 2-1 game to New Jersey.

2. Jason Dickinson moved up to centre Edmonton’s second line after Draisaitl exited in the second period against Nashville. The former Blackhawk logged 18:54 in the win, his fourth-highest total of the season and his highest since being acquired from Chicago.

At Monday’s practice, Dickinson remained on the second line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jack Roslovic. Josh Samanski slotted in as the third-line centre alongside Vasily Podkolzin and Kasperi Kapanen, while Max Jones skated on the fourth line with Adam Henrique and Trent Frederic.

The top line of Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, and Matt Savoie, who accounted for two of Edmonton’s three goals against Nashville and only at even strength, will again be leaned on to drive the offence.

3. San Jose is 5-3-2 since returning from the Olympic break. Over that stretch, they’ve scored 33 goals and allowed 36. On the season, the Sharks rank 18th in scoring with 202 goals and 28th defensively with 228 goals against.

Macklin Celebrini has been far and away San Jose’s best player, leading the team with 35 goals and 95 points in 65 games. The next-highest scorer is fellow sophomore Will Smith, who has 19 goals and 45 points in 52 games. Veterans Tyler Toffoli and Alexander Wennberg sit close behind with 44 and 43 points.

Yaroslav Askarov has struggled in his first full NHL season, posting a 19-17-3 record and an .886 save percentage in 40 games. Backup Alex Nedeljkovic has been steadier, going 13-9-3 with a .903 save percentage in 29 appearances. Laurent Brossoit made his first start since April 2024 last week, allowing six goals in a 7-4 loss to Ottawa after missing significant time with knee and hip injuries.

4. The Sharks last made the playoffs in 2018-19, falling in the Western Conference Final to St. Louis, the eventual Stanley Cup winners. San Jose has been outside of the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons now, shattering the franchise’s previous all-time playoff drought of two years, which happened twice during their expansion days in the 1990s.

With a 32-27-6 record, the Sharks are tenth in the Western Conference, only one point back of the second wild-card position. The Kraken hold the spot with 71 points in 66 games. The 28-24-15 Kings are tied in points, but the Kraken have the tiebreaker because of Los Angeles’ absurd amount of overtime wins. San Jose has 70 points in 65 games and needs to jump over both Pacific Division rivals to make the playoffs.

5. The Oilers also still have work to do in order to secure their playoff berth, and they’re still in the mix to win the Pacific Division crown. Edmonton hasn’t raised a division banner since the Smythe days of the 1980s, with nothing from the Northwest Division or Pacific Division hanging in the Rogers Place rafters.

The Ducks lead the way with a 37-27-3 record, while the Golden Knights are one point back with a 31-22-14 record. The Oilers are in third in the division at 33-26-9, two points back of first with one more game played than both Anaheim and Vegas. Edmonton also has a modest four-point lead on both Seattle and Los Angeles keeping them out of the wild-card.

What they said…

Head coach Kris Knoblauch on Edmonton not wanting to rush Leon Draisaitl back from injury…

“We don’t want to aggravate it or make it worse. We’re looking at the big picture, but these games are important. There’s nothing for sure right now when it comes to making the playoffs, and we need to win these games, but if he’s not healthy to play, he’s not going to play.”

Jason Dickinson on the Oilers needing multiple players to step up in Draisaitl’s absence…

“A player like that is very hard, if not impossible, to replace. A lot of respect for what his game brings to the team and the value that he brings. So with that, there’s a huge opportunity for guys to step up with a lot more ice time. One more guy gets to slot in on the first power play unit, and Leon’s really good on faceoffs so it opens up a door for guys to take some key draws.

San Jose forward Colin Graf after the Sharks lost 7-4 on the road in Ottawa on Sunday…

“Every team is fighting for something right now, and everyone’s going to play hard, especially the teams who are right in the thick of the playoffs. “It’s frustrating, but it’s just on us to have a really good game.”

Sharks goaltender Laurent Brossoit on making his first start in nearly two years against the Senators…

“At this point, it’s bittersweet. During the game was pretty surreal, and it’s been a long time coming. I’m more grateful and appreciate being out there more than I ever have. Not the result I wanted, but it’s not all bad. We’ll look at the game tape and be ready for the next one.”

Final word…

Like Nashville, Edmonton hosts a San Jose team coming off a frustrating loss and desperate to bank points in the playoff race. The Oilers matched that urgency on Sunday and didn’t allow the Predators to build momentum, even after losing Draisaitl.

The Sharks are young and dangerous, but this is a game a battle-tested Oilers team should find a way to win.