The Edmonton Oilers have been one of the NHL's coldest teams since late January. They're battling not just to make the playoffs but to get home-ice advantage. And now, they'll be without a superstar.
The Edmonton Oilers announced superstar Leon Draisaitl is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season.
The team said Draisaitl suffered a lower-body injury during the first period against the Nashville Predators on Sunday. He only played 3:12 of ice time before getting shut down but still managed to score a goal that game. His playoff status is uncertain.
At any point in the year, it hurts the Oilers to lose a player of Draisaitl's caliber. However, it's even more of a blow when it's in the middle of a race to get into the playoffs. Losing one of the NHL's best players may slow them down even more than they already have been.
Draisaitl posted 35 goals and 97 points across 65 games. Ending his regular season would mark the end of a four-year streak of recording at least 100 points.
The Oilers are by no means a lock to make the post-season.
They've lost two of their last three contests and have gone 5-7-1 since Jan. 31 for the fourth-worst points percentage in that span.
Edmonton's now third in the Pacific Division, with 75 points and a 33-26-9 record.
The Oilers are just two points off the top of the division leaders, the Anaheim Ducks, but they're also four points away from falling out of a playoff spot.
The Seattle Kraken, which are in the last wild-card spot in the Western Conference, have 71 points and two games in hand on Edmonton.
The Los Angeles Kings are the first team outside of the playoffs in the West and also have 71 points, with one game in hand on the Oilers.
Edmonton's remaining regular-season schedule is anything but a formality. They face the Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning and Ducks, and they also play crucial matchups against the Kraken and Kings.
Overall, the Oilers have the seventh-easiest strength of schedule during the rest of the season, according to tankathon.com. But if they want home-ice advantage in the first round, they must get ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights and Ducks, which have the sixth- and second-easiest strengths of schedule.
The Kings also have the easiest strength of schedule, so if they get on a hot streak and the Oilers don't, Los Angeles could catch up.
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