Oilers’ Draisaitl Skating; Flames’ Zary Week-to-Week with Injury

EDMONTON, Alberta — Leon Draisaitl returned to the ice Saturday morning while Connor Zary was deemed week-to-week due to a lower-body injury. The Edmonton Oilers forward Draisaitl, who has been sidelined for four games, participated in regular line rushes before the evening match against the Calgary Flames.

“I felt good out there,” Draisaitl said. “Obviously, I have to talk to the doctors, but I felt pretty good this morning.” The center, currently third in the NHL with 101 points and leading the league with 49 goals, suffered an undisclosed injury after a collision with a player from the Utah Hockey Club on March 18. Edmonton has gone 1-2-1 in his absence.

Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch remains optimistic about Draisaitl’s chances of playing. “I still have to check with the staff, but I think there’s a good chance he is playing,” he noted. In addition to Draisaitl, Edmonton is missing center McDavid (lower body) and goalie Stuart Skinner (concussion), both out for an unspecified time.

Meanwhile, Calgary’s Connor Zary is looking at potential rehabilitation after leaving a game against the Dallas Stars on Thursday with an injury. The Flames forward collided with Stars defenseman Mikko Rantanen, later indicating, “Hopefully, it’s on the shorter end of that (week-to-week) scale, so we’ll see how it goes,” stated Calgary coach Ryan Huska.

Zary previously missed 14 games earlier this season due to a knee injury and has accumulated 27 points (13 goals and 14 assists) in 54 appearances this season. “He’s a good young man with a good head on his shoulders, and I know he’ll commit to his rehab,” Huska remarked on the necessity for Zary to recondition himself.

The Flames are currently eight points behind the St. Louis Blues for the second wild card in the Western Conference playoff race, with four games in hand, a situation made more urgent without their promising forward.

The Oilers, sitting third in the Pacific Division at 41-26-5, are managing injuries as they prepare for their matchup against Calgary. The team is currently two points behind the Los Angeles Kings and 11 behind the Vegas Golden Knights.

As the NHL season approaches its final stretch, teams continue to navigate injuries, making updates on player conditions crucial for playoff positioning.