SportsHockeyOilers

Edmonton Oilers get more bad news as Draisaitl leaves game with injury

Preston Hodgkinson
Preston Hodgkinson
|
Apr 4 2025, 12:00 pm
Edmonton Oilers get more bad news as Draisaitl leaves game with injury
Sergei Belski/Imagn Images

The Edmonton Oilers got more bad news midway through Thursday night’s 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks.

Despite being in just his third game back since suffering another injury, superstar Leon Draisaitl left last night’s game in the second period after looking to be in some discomfort after a shift. The German power forward went down the tunnel and did not return for the third period.

It’s not clear what type of injury Draisaitl sustained, but there were a few awkward plays throughout the night that could have resulted in him tweaking something. One thing is for certain: this is yet another development in what has been a nightmarish last month or so when it comes to injuries.

After the game, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch addressed the media and gave a short update on Draisaitl’s condition.

“I haven’t seen our training staff yet,” Knoblauch said. “Tomorrow, obviously, I will [have a better update].”

While it is never a good time to lose a superstar like Draisaitl, let alone two with Connor McDavid also out of the lineup until at least next week, it is really unfortunate that it happened in the midst of a playoff race.

The Oilers are comfortably in a playoff spot but are fighting for positioning with the LA Kings for home-ice advantage in the opening round. It just so happens that Edmonton’s next game is against the Kings on Saturday afternoon.

If Draisaitl isn’t able to play, the responsibility of keeping pace in the Pacific will come down to some of their depth forwards like Jeff Skinner, Connor Brown, and Viktor Arvidsson, all of whom were able to get on the scoreboard last night.

“It’s nice to show the depth of our group,” Brown said after the game. “Get performances from different guys, gotta show up offensively.

“I thought it was a good win, I hope [Draisaitl] is okay.”

Oilers fans will be eagerly awaiting a better update on Draisaitl’s condition tomorrow, the hope will be that leaving the game in San Jose was just a precautionary move.

Ā 

ADVERTISEMENT