Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid injuries leave Oilers with uncertainty

EDMONTON Already missing Leon Draisaitl because of an injury, albeit one thats believed to be minor, things went from bad to worse for the Edmonton Oilers when they started Thursdays third period without Connor McDavid.

McDavid left a 4-3 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets with what the team is calling a lower body injury.

Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch did not have an update on McDavids status.

Its tough to know what that means other than the severity wasnt downplayed.

Advertisement The Oilers were also forced to play the last 4:57 of regulation without starting goaltender Stuart Skinner.

He was removed from the game by a concussion spotter after defenceman Troy Stecher knocked the Jets Gabriel Vilardi into him.

Knoblauch did not have an update on Skinner, either.

Naturally, McDavid is receiving more of the attention here.

I have no idea whats going on with Connor, linemate Zach Hyman said.

Hopefully, hes back (soon).

McDavid got hurt on what seemed about as innocuous a play imaginable.

He was forechecking as a rolling puck reached Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck while defenceman Josh Morrissey shielded him to give partner Dylan DeMelo an extra split second to receive the handoff from his goalie.

Morrissey contacted McDavid with what appeared to be a quick cross-check; McDavid immediately began gliding and looked to be favouring the left side of his body.

With 57 seconds left in the second period, McDavid went straight to the bench, where he was attended to by head athletic therapist T.D.

Forss.

He didnt return.

Hes the best player in the world, so youd like to have him out there, winger Jeff Skinner said.

Weve got a job to do.

Weve got the third period to play.

The Oilers now face the prospect of continuing their schedule without their two top talents.

Of course, these arent run-of-the-mill players.

One is regarded as the worlds best, and the other might be the league MVP this season.

The last time the Oilers competed without Draisaitl and McDavid was the season finale last April when they sat out to rest before the playoffs.

The Oilers, who were also missing Hyman, Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard that night, lost 5-1 in Denver.

This teams been through adversity before, Skinner said.

I feel like weve got a lot of good players and some good depth.

Whatever their status is, well work through it together.

Advertisement At least the Oilers managed to earn a point against the NHLs best team Thursday.

They allowed a go-ahead goal to Brandon Tanev before the third period was four minutes old.

However, they pushed the proceedings to extra time thanks to Hymans tying marker with 5:34 left in regulation.

I thought the effort was tremendous, Knoblauch said.

There was no quit.

Were going to need more of that.

That was one of a few positives.

The penalty kill was another.

The Oilers thwarted all four Jets power plays, including a two-man advantage early in the third and a five-on-four with 2:30 left and the game on the line.

Another plus, and perhaps the most prominent of which, was the Oilers getting another solid performance out of Skinner, the veteran forward.

Jeffrey Scott Skinner is officially on hatty watch #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/viodCdc8nY Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) March 21, 2025 Skinner played on the top line next to McDavid and Hyman for the second straight game.

He took Draisaitls spot on the power play, scored twice at five-on-five and was effective all over the ice.

This comes after seldom getting top-six minutes this season and being scratched 10 times, all since Dec.

29.

He obviously hasnt had the easiest year, Hyman said.

But for him to stick with it, I dont think people truly understand how hard that is to do.

For him to be playing the way hes playing right now and contributing is a huge credit to him.

We need him, especially right now with the injuries we have, Knoblauch said.

Well need guys stepping up.

Hes one of those guys well be looking for to play a big role.

The Oilers missed out on a second point when Kyle Connor scored the winner 1:13 into overtime.

Without Draisaitl and McDavid, Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins were the first two forwards over the boards.

Viktor Arvidsson then went on with two blueliners: Darnell Nurse and Jake Walman.

Thats when Connor scored, although Walman had changed off for Bouchard.

Advertisement Not having both their superstars from the third period on was certainly felt.

Youre missing two guys who make those special plays, Hyman said.

When theyre not in the lineup, simplify your game.

You can play simple, direct.

Get to the net and just keep things easy.

Were a team thats capable of doing that.

Thats playoff hockey, really.

Hopefully, both those guys are back next game because theyre Leon and Connor.

This wasnt the first time the Oilers have been without McDavid this season.

He was sidelined for three games from Oct.

31 to Nov.

4 with an ankle injury and was also suspended for three contests for a cross-check to the head on the Vancouver Canucks Conor Garland in January.

The Oilers have a 4-2 record without McDavid this season, although they got demolished in Columbus when he got injured on the first shift.

Draisaitl, who sat out Thursdays game with an undisclosed injury, is a different story.

It was just the sixth game he has missed since the start of the 2018-19 season.

Draisaitl got tangled up with Utah Hockey Club defenceman Olli Maatta midway through Tuesdays 7-1 win but stayed in the game.

Draisaitl played 22:23 in an unsuccessful pursuit to extend his points streak to 19 contests.

Knoblauch said in the morning that the Oilers were taking a cautious approach with Draisaitl given how close they are to the playoffs.

This is something that we dont want to linger, the coach said.

It was the safe and smart decision.

That they were forced to make that choice must be at least a little unsettling.

And thats before even circling back to touch on McDavid.

Regardless of how long both players are out, this is a terrible time for them to be nicked up.

The playoffs are a month away.

Draisaitl is second in NHL scoring with 101 points.

McDavid, who extended his points streak to 13 games Thursday with an assist, is fourth with 90 points.

The next-highest-scoring forward, Nugent-Hopkins, has exactly half of McDavids output.

Advertisement To suggest the drop-off is precipitous wouldnt be doing it justice.

Without McDavid, the Oilers beat the Nashville Predators, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks and Buffalo Sabres.

Three of those teams wont make the postseason, and the fourth might not, either.

They lost to the playoff-bound New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals.

Without Draisaitl and McDavid for the last 22:10 on Thursday the Oilers battled to get a consolation point in the standings.

They ultimately lost to a deeper and better team.

None of that really matters right now.

All that does is the health of Draisaitl and McDavid (and Stuart Skinner, too).

Amid uncertainty, the pressure on their teammates ramps up in their absence.

Youre missing the two best players in the world, but weve got a really good team, Hyman said.

Its a great opportunity.

But hopefully Connors back next game.

I have no idea.

(Photo of Connor McDavid and Colin Miller: Codie McLachlan / Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.