The Edmonton Oilers will get a boost to their lineup Saturday night against the Flames as Leon Drasiatil is set to return from a four-game absence.
The hulking superstar was banged up in the Oilers’ March 18th game against the Utah Hockey Club, getting hauled down in the neutral zone partway through the game. Draisaitl, who is one goal short of 50 on the season, remained in the game, playing 22 minutes and 23 seconds, as he searched for that milestone marker.
However, an undisclosed injury kept him out of Edmonton’s subsequent games, missing matches against the Jets, Kraken, Stars and Kraken again.
Draisaitl is expected to take the first line centre spot with Vasily Podkolzin and Viktor Arvidsson on his flanks, as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will centre Jeff Skinner and Zach Hyman on the second line. Adam Henrique will be up the middle on the third line, alongside Max Jones and Kasperi Kapanen, while Mattias Janmark will centre Corey Perry and Connor Brown.
A return to the lineup for Draisaitl is the only good injury news for the Oilers, as all of Connor McDavid, Stuart Skinner and Mattias Ekholm are expected to miss Saturday’s game.
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said Saturday that McDavid continues to recover from a lower-body injury he suffered against the Jets. It’s not yet known if he will join the Oilers on their upcoming road trip. Skinner remains out after taking a hit to the head against the Stars, and could be out of the lineup for up to a week, Knoblauch added.
Ekholm, meanwhile, will miss his second straight game amid a season where he’s struggled to remain healthy, though Knoblauch said he would be in the lineup if it were a playoff game. John Klingberg is also expected to miss Saturday’s game. He suffered a lower-body injury after blocking a shot against the Anaheim Ducks on March 4th and while he drew back into the lineup against the Kraken on Thursday night, he’s since now back out of the lineup.
Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.
