The Edmonton Oilers lost 4-3 to the Dallas Stars in a marquee NHL matchup. Despite the significant implications of the loss for Edmonton, veteran Corey Perry expressed deep regret on a different matter, issuing a warning to Mikko Rantanen after the forward injured goaltender Stuart Skinner in a controversial play.
As the Oilers battle through the key absences of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the squad needs every point they can salvage in their recent outings. The Oilers aren’t too comfortable in the NHL standings, just four points separate them from the last wild card team, the St. Louis Blues, and Edmonton looks fragile without its two best players.
However, the uphill challenge just got even steeper as starting goaltender Skinner had to leave the game against the Stars after taking a bizarre knee to the head from Rantanen.
After the game, Corey Perry addressed the incident, issuing an honest confession, while sending out a warning for Rantanen, with whom the Oilers won’t meet again in the regular season.
“I was pissed at myself. I didn’t see what happened, I was on the ice when Rantanen hit Skinner and that’s on me. I should never let that happen,” Corey Perry firmly stated postgame, via Oilersnation.com. “I didn’t see what happened. I saw Stu go down and everyone was standing around. I didn’t see it until afterwards, and I was pretty pissed at myself that I didn’t see it.”
Myriad of injuries
It’s been a wild week for the Oilers. Since March 18, the team has seen Draisaitl, McDavid, and now Skinner go down with injuries. As the Oilers gear up for a quick trip to Seattle to take on the Kraken, head coach Kris Knoblauch was honest about Skinner’s avilability.
“I anticipate him not traveling,” Knoblauch stated after the game, via Sportsnet reporter Gene Principe.
Where Draisaitl and McDavid stand amid their recovery
The Oilers are anxiously waiting for their stars to be fully healthy again, as their absence on the lineup is impossible to miss. Though Edmonton managed to secure a 4-3 win over the Kraken during their first game without either McDavid and Draisaitl, they aren’t looking forward to playing much more games without them.
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“Leon [Draisaitl] will be back sooner than Connor [McDavid],” Knoblauch admitted. “We are looking at a week or maybe shorter than that for Leon. Connor will be longer than that.”