Edmonton Oilers pressed the panic button when their famous center, Leon Draisaitl, tangled with Utah defenseman Olli Määttä. The team won the game by 7-1 easily. In just 68 games, he scored 49 goals with 101 points, sitting at the 3rd spot behind Nikita Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon. But the HC Kris Knoblauch moved ahead with caution and requested other players to step up. They might not need it now.

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman shared a positive news two days back when he announced that Draisaitl could be back against the Calgary on March 29. That was the first indication. We got more confirmation on the positive news for the Oilers.

Sports 1440 host Jason Gregor confirmed the news and tweeted, “Leon Draisaitl will take the morning skate tomorrow. Not a for sure he will play, but a decent chance he will.” That’s the need of the hour for the team. Leon Draisaitl has missed the 3 games already. They are struggling with injuries to other players as well.

The Oilers captain Connor McDavid has also sat out the last 3 games because of an unknown issue with his lower body. That also affects them in a bad way as McDavid was leading the team in assists (64) this season. Also, there is no return timeline given yet. So, the duo has left the team toothless against their rivals.

Moreover, they are without their goaltender Stuart Skinner after the Dallas game on Wednesday, the 26th of March. He collided with the Dallas forward Mikko Rantanen and laid on the ice. But the saving grace was that he went to the locker room without any assist. The Oilers were caught in a mess. And to make things right, they recalled goaltender Olivier Rodrigue from the American Hockey league (AHL) on an emergency basis.

Leon Draisaitl’s return can save the Oilers as they enter the last month of the regular season schedule. Saturday’s game is the last game for March.

Leon Draisaitl – Saver of Edmonton Oilers

The injuries were fine until their playoff campaign was in danger. The Oilers lost 2 games, slipping to the 3rd position in the Pacific Division. Vegas Golden Knights sit atop with 96 points (44 wins – 20 losses). Los Angeles Kings sit above the Oilers in the 2nd spot with 89  points (40 wins- 22 losses). The Oilers have 41 wins and 26 losses, totaling 87 points.

They have 10 games left in their regular season campaign. If Leon Draisaitl returns in the same form he had before getting injured, he could save them from the elimination. Others, like McDavid and Skinner, also need to return fast. Last year, they steered clear of the LA Kings with 49 wins in 82 games, with 104 points.

Friedman gave hope to the angry fans and added, “I don’t think that this is a team that is overly worried about where it finishes. Obviously, you’d like to get the home ice advantage in the first round against LA. But I’m looking at this right now. And as long as everybody’s healthy, I’m not in panic mode about the Oilers yet.”

The game against Calgary will be exciting if Leon Draisaitl returns. That will give enough firepower to overcome the rivals and climb back to the second position. April is gonna be exciting.