In today’s Edmonton Oilers news and rumors update, the team opens their Western Conference Final series with the Dallas Stars on Thursday night. Edmonton is the underdog, but does that mean a win is all but assured for the Stars? Is Adam Henrique going to be in the lineup? Does Leon Draisaitl have a new injury that wasn’t previously known? How will Connor McDavid fare against Miro Heiskanen and Chris Tanev? McDavid was held pointless a few times against the Vancouver Canucks. Is he primed for an offensive explosion?
Adam Henrique Remains Out
Head coach Kris Knoblauch said earlier this week that Adam Henrique looked good in practice and was hopeful the forward could play Game 1. It was revealed on Thursday morning that Henrique will remain out of the lineup. In fact, the lineup will not change at all from Game 6 and 7 in the series with the Vancouver Canucks.
The Oilers are hoping to get Henrique back in this series at some point. If he’s not in for Game 1, there is chance he’ll play Saturday night in Game 2.
Draisaitl Has Bandaged Up Finger
Fans noticed in the video posted by the Oilers that Leon Draisaitl arrived in Dallas nursing a bandaged finger. It’s not clear when he suffered the injury or how serious it is, but it was probably the result of blocking a Conor Garland slap shot in Game 7.
Related: Edmonton Oilers’ 5 Wildest Stanley Cup Playoff Games vs. Stars
The bandage didn’t stay on his finger for long, so it’s not clear if he was hiding it while addressing the media with Mattias Ekholm hours later, or if it’s just not that bad. The hope is that it’s the latter and that it isn’t anything that will affect his shot. He is currently the NHL’s playoff-scoring leader and the Oilers’ biggest goal-scoring weapon on a nightly basis (even though Zach Hyman technically has more goals.)
Can McDavid Get Hot Again?
Suggesting Connor McDavid has more to give in the playoffs than he already has might seem strange. He’s second in playoff scoring with 21 points in 12 games. But there is something off in his game of late and he didn’t produce a point in three of the last five games against the Vancouver Canucks, including Game 7.
It seems like everyone is waiting for McDavid to put up one of his traditionally incredible playoff performances and just explode for offense in a game. He’s capable of it, having scored eight points in two games against Vancouver. Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic writes:
The Oilers need McDavid to chip in more consistently. The Stars have posed challenges for him, particularly Norris Trophy-calibre defenceman Miro Heiskanen. But he’s still recorded 29 points in 21 career games.
source – ‘Four reasons for Oilers optimism heading into Round 3 against the Stars’ – Daniel Nugent-Bowman – The Athletic – 05/23/2024
The Stars also have Chris Tanev, who will be tasked with shutting down McDavid or Draisaitl. He was given that job in the Vegas series against Jack Eichel, and then again versus Colorado and Nathan MacKinnon. But, McDavid is a different breed of player who, if on a different line than Draisaitl in 5-v-5 situation can make life difficult for opposing defenses. McDavid has recorded 29 points in 21 career games against the Stars.
A bit more consistency from McDavid and a willingness to shoot the puck more often will help the Oilers immensely. The Oilers aren’t being favored in this series, but it’s a matchup the elite stars versus the deep Stars. Who wins?
