While speaking to media on Friday (April 4), Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch provided an update on the condition of Oilers leading scorer Leon Draisaitl, who sustained a lower-body injury during a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Thursday (April 3).
Related: 3 Takeaways From the Oilers’ 3-2 Win Over Sharks
As per Knoblauch, Draisaitl won’t be in the lineup today (April 5) when Edmonton visits the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena and will likely also miss the team’s home game on Monday (April 7) against the Anaheim Ducks. He is expected to return to action well before the postseason starts in two weeks.
That means Edmonton is likely without both Draisaitl and captain Connor McDavid for at least its next two games. The latter has been out of action since suffering a lower-body injury against the Winnipeg Jets on March 20, and while McDavid is also expected back before the end of the regular season on April 16, there is no date set for his return.
Since the start of the 2015-16 season, Edmonton has only played five regular season or playoff games when neither Draisaitl nor McDavid was in the lineup. Three of those contests came between March 22 and 27, when Edmonton went 1-2-0.
The timing couldn’t be worse for the Oilers, who have reeled off three consecutive victories and are in the thick of a tight race for playoff position. With just seven games remaining on their regular season schedule, the Oilers sit third in the Pacific Division standings, just two points behind Los Angeles for second place and five points behind the division-leading Vegas Golden Knights.
Edmonton has almost no margin for error if it is to ascend the standings over the final days of the 2024-25 NHL season. Even if Draisaitl is sidelined only for a couple of games, one or two games could be the difference between finishing third and second, or perhaps even first in the Pacific. With that said, the Oilers need everyone to step up in the superstars’ absence, and three skaters in particular stand out:
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
In Edmonton’s only win during its three games without both Draisaitl and McDavid last month, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins put the team on his back. The veteran forward recorded his first hat trick, scoring once each at even-strength, on the power-play, and while short-handed, to lead the Oilers past the Seattle Kraken by a score of 5-4 at Rogers Place on March 22.
It was unquestionably one of the greatest performances of his 14-season NHL career, a reminder of what the 2011 first-overall pick is still capable of from time to time, even as he is quickly approaching his 32nd birthday and is averaging his fewest points per game since 2016-17.
Nugent-Hopkins quickly cooled off after his brilliant performance two weeks ago. In the five games since, he’s managed to record just one point: a power-play assist in Edmonton’s win over the Golden Knights on Tuesday (April 1). If there was ever a time for him to break out of this mini-slump, it’s today against the Kings.
Jeff Skinner
One of Edmonton’s big free-agent additions last summer, Skinner rose to the occasion on Thursday, breaking a 2-2 tie by scoring what proved to be the game-winning goal against San Jose only moments after Draisaitl left the game.
Skinner hasn’t produced consistently this season, but he’s on an upswing of late, with four goals and two assists over his last seven games, after going pointless over the seven contests prior to that.
Like Nugent-Hopkins, the 32-year-old winger’s highest scoring days are behind him, but Skinner still has his moments. He also scored against Seattle in Edmonton’s March 22 win without Draisaitl and McDavid.
The last time Skinner scored against the Kings was Dec. 11, 2018, when he was a member of the Buffalo Sabres. Today’s game would be the ideal occasion to break that drought.
Viktor Arvidsson
Edmonton’s other big free-agent signing last July 1, Viktor Arvidsson, greatly underperformed for much of the season, going pointless in 34 of his first 51 games as an Oiler.
But recently, the Swedish winger has been exactly the player that Edmonton signed him to be. He’s now scored in three consecutive games, all pivotal goals in critical victories for the Oilers.
Since March 16, Arvidsson has five goals in nine games, including a pair of game-winners. The Oilers are an incredible 12-0-1 when Arvidsson scores this season, which shows just how much of a difference-maker he can be.
Moreover, no one should be more motivated than Arvidsson, who spent three seasons with the Kings before coming to Edmonton. Arvidsson scored once in the Oilers’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Kings at Crypto.com Arena on Dec. 28.
Puck drop for today’s game between the Oilers and Kings is slated for just after 2 p.m. MT. With a regulation win, Edmonton will move into a tie with Los Angeles for second place in the Pacific Division.
