The Edmonton Oilers are battling an injury bug that has sidelined several key players as they gear up for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, captain Connor McDavid remains confident in his team, issuing a bold message to the Los Angeles Kings and the rest of the NHL ahead of the postseason.
The Oilers are hoping to recover key players ahead of their playoff series against the Kings. Both franchises can’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu as they prepare to meet in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.
Edmonton is coming off a 5-0 loss to Los Angeles at home, though their lineup was far from full strength—what Kings forward Phillip Danault referred to as “their B-squad”, amid a harsh accusation to Kris Knoblauch’s team.
The heated game in Alberta set the table and raised the stakes ahead of the playoff series, where the LA franchise will look to snap its postseason losing streak. The Kings have been eliminated in the first round in each of their last three appearances—all at the hands of the Oilers.
Even with several question marks surrounding their Game 1 lineup, McDavid has made one thing clear to the Kings—and to any team that crosses paths with Edmonton.
“We have this like aura about us that we’re the walking wounded, but we’re just fine,” Oilers star Connor McDavid said, via The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent Bowman. Everybody’s going to be ready to roll. Everybody is doing whatever they can. I don’t like this whole notion that we’re the walking wounded here. We’re ready to roll.”
Ekholm is out for the first round
Amid the injury bug going around the Oilers’ locker room, head coach Kris Knoblauch delivered a concerning update on defenseman Mattias Ekholm, who re-aggravated an undisclosed injury upon his return from a seven-game absence on April 11.
Ahead of the puck drop between the Kings and Oilers at Crypto.com Arena, Knoblauch revealed Ekholm won’t be making his return until after the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Injury report
Evander Kane was placed on long-term injured reserve on March 7 and is aiming to return from his hip and knee injuries in time for Game 1. Similarly, Trent Frederic — who has appeared in just one game since being traded to Edmonton from Boston — is also expected to be back for the playoffs.
On the other hand, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Connor McDavid, and Jake Walman are all considered day-to-day, and barring a setback should be cleared to dress for the Oilers in the opening round of the postseason.
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Expectations are sky-high in Edmonton, but team morale hasn’t quite caught up, as the injury-riddled roster looks to build momentum before touching down in LAX. The Oilers aim to extend their playoff dominance over the Kings, having won six straight postseason series against the franchise from the City of Angels — boasting an 8-2 all-time record in their playoff meetings.