Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl (29) in the first period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

By The Canadian Press

Oilers optimistic injured Draisaitl will return soon for playoff pursuit

Mar 16, 2026 | 3:00 AM

EDMONTON — It was both a big win and hopefully not too big of a loss for the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday.

Connor McDavid had three assists as the Edmonton Oilers picked up a pair of valuable points with a 3-1 victory over the Nashville Predators in a game that star forward Leon Draisaitl left with an undisclosed injury.

Draisaitl took a hard hit early in the first period from Ozzy Wiesblatt and suffered an injury, coming back for a couple of shifts before opting not to return for the start of the second.

“He didn’t feel right, he went off, he got checked out and felt like he could play on it,” said Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch. “The medical staff looked at him and they were comfortable with him trying it out. He went out again and just didn’t feel quite right.

“The fact the medical staff said it doesn’t seem too bad, no immediate red flags, tells me it shouldn’t be a really long injury.”

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On Monday, Knoblauch did not have an injury update available but did say Draisaitl was expected to miss some games.

“I think it will be some time without him,” he said. “I’m not sure if it’s one (or) two (games) or how long it’s going to be.

“We don’t want to aggravate it, make it worse. Obviously we’re looking at the big picture, but the games are important. There’s nothing for sure right now, making the playoffs. And we need to win hockey games, but obviously if he’s not healthy to play, he’s not going to play.”

Rookie forward Matthew Savoie, who scored his 11th of the season, said it was important for everyone to rise to the occasion with Draisaitl going down.

“Obviously when it’s a player like Leon, it’s got to be a committee of guys that step up and fill different roles and really contribute to us having success because this is a big part of our season and we really need to rally off some wins and put ourselves in a good spot,” Savoie said.

“This is the most important time of the season. I think the fire in here is there and is just continuing to grow and we’re continuing to find our game.”

Draisaitl notched his 35th of the campaign and Zach Hyman also scored for the Oilers (33-26-9), who ended a two-game skid in what has become a heated fight for playoff positions in the Pacific Division and with wild-card challengers nipping at their heels.

“We’re at a point in the season where we don’t have a choice,” said Hyman, who has 28 goals in 49 games this season. “We have to play well. We have to win games. We have to close games out. We have to play strong defensively. We did all those things — it was a good team effort from our goalie all the way out.”

Entering play Monday, Edmonton sat third in the Pacific, two points back of Anaheim in first and one back of Vegas in second. Seattle held the final playoff spot in the West, just three points back of the Oilers.

Connor Ingram recorded 26 saves to earn the win in the Edmonton net.

“Our game is going to take a dip on the offensive side, especially on the power play,” said Knoblauch. “Five on five you don’t have one of the best players on the ice, playing 20 to 24 minutes a night.

“It’s really important that our team maybe simplifies our game. We’re not going to be able to score as many goals … so we’re not going to be able to outscore our troubles. So it’s going to be very important we play good defensive hockey.”

– With files from John Korobanik in Edmonton.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 16, 2026.

Shane Jones, The Canadian Press