The NHL playoffs are a war of attrition, and for the Edmonton Oilers, the injury bug bit them early.

With just over two minutes left in the first period of their 4-3 Game 1 win over the Anaheim Ducks, Adam Henrique got tangled up in front of the Oilers net. He hit the ice in discomfort, and left the game.

After the game, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch tried to play coy but hinted at a potential extended absence for the veteran centre.

“He got tied up there in front of the net, and obviously wasn’t eligible to come back,” said Knoblauch. “We’ll find out tomorrow exactly how long that injury is.

“It’s going to be a big hole missing Rico. He’s been so good on our special teams, and we’re going to have to have some other guys step up if we are to lose him.”

Henrique played in just two minutes and 56 seconds in Game 1, taking one shot on goal, and going one-for-two in the faceoff circle.

The Oilers will have a pair of options to fill his spot as the fourth-line centre: Josh Samanski and Curtis Lazar.

Samanski is the most likely to draw back into the lineup, considering the time he spent with Colton Dach and Trent Frederic down the stretch run of the season. They played just over 40 minutes at five-on-five this season, controlling 54 per cent of the shot attempt share, 62.5 per cent of the expected goal share, and 55.6 per cent of the high-danger scoring chance share. More impressively, however, is the fact they’ve outscored the opposition 3-1. It’s a small sample size, of course, but there was some chemistry from the trio.

Lazar is also an option to draw into the lineup, and could give the Oilers a new look as a right-shot centre. Nonetheless, Knoblauch said that an update on Henrique would be available Tuesday, so time will tell how long the Oilers could be without him.

Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the Daily Faceoff DFS Hockey Report. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.

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