- Oilers coach Mike Babcock says Isaac Howard’s knee injury is not as serious as it looked
- Howard will sit out Sunday’s game at the Rangers to rest the knee
- Read below for Babcock’s full comments and what Edmonton’s lineup looks like in New York
The Oilers got some good news on Isaac Howard.
Head coach Mike Babcock said after Saturday’s 4-0 win over the Islanders that the winger’s knee injury isn’t as serious as it looked when he was helped down the tunnel. Howard will miss Sunday’s game against the Rangers to rest, and the team is hopeful the absence stays short.
Babcock was asked about Howard’s status after the game.
“We don’t think it’s as serious as it looked,” Babcock said. “We’re hoping for a real good kind of recovery day for him tomorrow, and then if he doesn’t (feel better), then we’ll get on with the medical part of looking into it. But they think it’s favorable.”
Here’s the update from the rink:
Howard left 2:22 into the game after Islanders forward Emil Heineman caught him with a knee-on-knee hit. Heineman got a five-minute major for kneeing and a game misconduct, and we broke down the sequence in our earlier post.
Watch the hit and the penalty call:
Howard did not put any weight on his left leg as he went to the room, which is why the early read was so grim. The 22-year-old has one goal and two assists in 12 games this season.
Edmonton can use the good news. Zach Hyman landed on injured reserve with a neck injury earlier this week, so the forward group is already thin.
The Oilers wrap up a back-to-back at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, with puck drop at 5 p.m. MT. Babcock also said Matt Tomkins will make his Oilers debut in goal after Tristan Jarry posted his second straight shutout, and Tomkins has been waiting for his shot since the Devon Levi injury.
