Draisaitl is injured and won't play in tonight's Edmonton Oilers game
The Edmonton Oilers will be lining up against a division rival, the San Jose Sharks, without one of their best players on Tuesday night.
After leaving Sunday’s victory against the Nashville Predators with an apparent injury, Leon Draisaitl has been officially ruled out for tonight’s game. It’s obviously a huge loss for an Oilers team trying to solidify their playoff position, especially in a game that could hold a lot of significance in playoff positioning.
The Sharks are outside of the playoff cut line, but still remain just five points back of the Oilers with multiple games in hand. Edmonton will need to find a way to battle on without the help of Draisaitl.
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed Draisaitl’s absence at this morning’s skate.
“Leon’s not playing tonight, we’ll have more information probably later tonight, if not, tomorrow on exactly how long he’ll be,” Knoblauch told reporters.
"Tonight is an important game."
Coach Knoblauch speaks about the #Oilers divisional matchup with the Sharks at @RogersPlace. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/DtLsBVmoV9
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) March 17, 2026
Draisaitl has had a remarkably healthy season with the Oilers this season, only missing three games in January while attending to a personal matter. He has done a lot for the team, currently ranking second in goals (35), assists (62) and points (97), behind only Connor McDavid.
This will require some lineup juggling for Knoblauch, who did say he will keep Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the wing and on a line with Dickinson. That could mean the lineup could look like this, based on Monday’s practice:
Matt Savoie – Connor McDavid – Zach Hyman
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Jason Dickinson – Jack Roslovic
Vasily Podkolzin – Josh Samanski – Kasperi Kapanen
Max Jones – Adam Henrique – Trent Frederic
It remains to be seen how the defensive group shakes out, but it’s likely to remain untouched with Ty Emberson not ready to return to the lineup. Knoblauch confirmed that Connor Ingram will get his second straight start in the Oilers crease.
Puck drop at Rogers Place is set for 7 p.m. MST.