Jake Walman's absence from warmup sparks concern. Is it rest, or has the defenseman's physical game taken its toll before facing the Panthers?
The Edmonton Oilers might be without Jake Walman as they take on the Florida Panthers Saturday night. Following a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning in which Walman got bumped around, it's unclear whether he'll be unavailable for the game or if this is just the Oilers giving him some rest.
Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer tweeted the lines from the skate. Edmonton had Evan Bouchard skating with Mattias Ekholm, Darnell Nurse with Alec Regula, and Brett Kulak with Ty Emberson.
Walman didn't miss time in Thursday's game, but he did take a huge hit from Curtis Douglas and then blocked a shot later in the game. Both sequences appeared like they might take Walman out of the game, but he toughed through the pain and continued playing.
There was no announcement after the game that Walman was dealing with something, but it shouldn't shock anyone if he's not 100 percent and, should the Oilers choose to play things cautiously, they have the pieces to fill in.
That said, if Walman misses time -- which he did to start the season -- it will be a blow for the Oilers.
In other injury news, Noah Philp has been placed on LTIR by the Edmonton Oilers. As a result, the team has called notable tough guy Connor Clattenburg up from the minors. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also remains out, as does Kasperi Kapanen.
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