HIGHLIGHTS
- Leon Draisaitl won’t play again in the regular season
- The German suffered a lower-body injury on Sunday
- Read on for the full story
The Edmonton Oilers will need to battle for their seeding in the Stanley Cup Playoffs without Leon Draisaitl.
The German superstar won’t play again in the regular season after suffering a lower-body injury on Sunday against the Nashville Predators, the team announced on Tuesday afternoon.
It remains to be seen if Draisaitl will be ready to go for the first round of the playoffs, if the Oilers qualify. The former Kelowna Rocket has had another fantastic campaign for the Stanley Cup-chasing Oilers, scoring 35 goals and tallying 62 assists.
After scoring the first goal on Sunday versus Nashville, Draisaitl took a hit from Ozzy Wiesblatt and appeared to be shaken up. He played briefly again in the first period, but Draisaitl ultimately didn’t return for the remainder of the contest due to the injury.
Here’s a look at the play:
The Oilers are in contention for the Pacific Division title. They’re sitting in third place at the moment with a 33-26-9 record, and just two points behind the first-place Anaheim Ducks. However, losing their second-best player is a huge blow. Draisaitl is second on the team in points behind none other than Connor McDavid.
Draisaitl is a brilliant player overall, but he’ll definitely be missed on the man-advantage, where he thrives. The veteran has 16 goals and 26 helpers this season on the power play.
The race for a playoff berth in the West is fierce, and other players on this Edmonton roster will need to step up in the absence of Draisaitl, such as Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Evan Bouchard, alongside McDavid. The Seattle Kraken and LA Kings are only four points behind the Oilers, while the San Jose Sharks trail them by five. Macklin Celebrini and Co. have a game in hand.
With 14 games left in the season, it’s time for the Oilers to dig deep and grind it out so they can have Draisaitl back for a hopeful Cup run.
