The Edmonton Oilers
announced on Tuesday that famous person ahead Leon Draisaitl goes to overlook the rest of the common season on account of a lower-body harm that he suffered this week.
Draisaitl is the NHL’s fourth-leading scorer with 97 factors, and together with Connor McDavid is without doubt one of the greatest driving forces behind the Oilers even being in a playoff spot getting into play on Tuesday.
His harm not solely considerably weakens the Oilers lineup. It additionally creates a possible opening for another groups within the Western Convention playoff race.
Oilers have main work to do to carry on to a playoff spot
The most important challenge for the Oilers with Draisaitl’s absence is that the staff performs so poorly when neither he or McDavid is on the ice.
Throughout 5-on-5 play this season, the Oilers are being outscored 39-69 when neither player is on the ice, and an prolonged absence from Draisaitl means much more ice time for the depth gamers to need to fill. Up to now this season, they’ve failed to provide. It has been an ideal storm of unhealthy scoring depth, unhealthy protection and even worse goaltending to create an surroundings the place your entire staff is usually depending on its two greatest gamers.
The place it actually turns into problematic is within the playoff race the place the Oilers wouldn’t have a ton of wiggle room.
Getting into play on Tuesday, they occupied the third playoff spot within the Pacific Division, with a four-point lead over the Los Angeles Kings and a five-point lead over the San Jose Sharks. Each groups are on the skin of the playoff image and are two of the groups Edmonton has to complete forward of to safe a spot within the postseason.
Whereas making up four- or five-point gaps this late within the season is often extraordinarily tough, each groups have video games in hand remaining on the Oilers. The Sharks, for instance, play three extra video games than the Oilers the remainder of the way in which and in addition play two head-to-head video games the place they will make up floor. That modifications the maths considerably, particularly when the Oilers are going to be with out certainly one of their two greatest and most necessary gamers.
Edmonton nonetheless has McDavid, however there may be solely a lot he can do. Its depth is about to be put to the take a look at, and that’s going to depart the door open for an already tight playoff race to get even nearer within the stretch run.
