The Edmonton Oilers appear to be dealing with some injuries as they are nearing what they hope will be a long playoff run.
The Oilers hit the ice for practice this morning with fewer players than usual. Both Evander Kane and Mattias Janmark were absent.
Evander Kane and Mattias Janmark are not on the ice. #Oilers
— Tony Brar 🚀 (@TonyBrarOTV) April 20, 2024
“We hope to have [Kane] on the ice tomorrow,” said head coach Kris Knoblauch. “We’ll find out and see how his health is. We’re hopeful that he’s available for Game 1.
“Janmark is again hopeful. We anticipate he’ll be on the ice and hopeful that he’ll be playing Game 1.”
Kane has been playing through bumps and bruises throughout the majority of the season and missed the three final games of the Oilers’ regular season as a result. Despite a bit of a disappointing year with 24 goals and 44 points in 77 games, he brings a level of physicality with his offensive touch that this team will really need to go deep in the playoffs.
As for Janmark, it isn’t quite as clear when he suffered his injury. The 31-year-old, who scored four goals and 12 points in mainly a fourth-line role this season, logged over 16 minutes of ice time in the Oilers’ season finale versus the Colorado Avalanche.
After sitting out their seven-leading scorers against the Avalanche, the Oilers debuted some lines today, which should be similar to what they use on Monday in Game 1 versus the LA Kings.
Connor McDavid was centring the first line with Adam Henrique and Zach Hyman on his wings, while Leon Draisaitl skated down the middle on the second line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Warren Foegele.
With Dylan Holloway and Corey Perry on his sides, Ryan McLeod maintained his usual third-line center role. On the fourth line, Sam Carrick was down the middle with Connor Brown on his right wing, while Derek Ryan and Sam Gagner alternated on the right.
Their pairings on the blue line were as expected, with Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard operating as the first pair while Darnell Nurse and Cody Ceci were on the second. The third pairing featured Brett Kulak and Vincent Desharnais, indicating Troy Stecher will be a healthy scratch to begin the playoffs.
The Oilers will go up against the Kings in the first round for the third consecutive season. They have come out on top in their past two series but will be in store for another tough challenge this time. Puck drop for Game 1 is set for 8 pm MT.
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