Luck just isn’t on the Edmonton Oilers’ side, and the timing couldn’t be worse. Just when the Oilers had strung together a hat-trick of wins, disaster struck. First, star forward Leon Draisaitl sustained an injury against the Utah Hockey Club; then it was Connor McDavid‘s turn on March 20. So, as an offensively diminished Oilers took to the ice tonight, everyone prayed for no further mishaps.

Yet that’s exactly what happened in the third period. The Oilers were already down 4-0 when goalie Stuart Skinner attempted to save the shot from Dallas. However, Skinner and Dallas Stars forward Mikko Rantanen failed to notice they were on a collision course. “He’s watching the puck the whole time. He’s not really paying attention,” one commentator said about Rantanen. And it would go on to cost Skinner dearly.

Unfortunately, their lack of positioning awareness resulted in Rantanen ramming his knee into the goalie’s head. Even the helmet meant for safety couldn’t save Skinner from the impending concussion. After the game, Coach Kris Knobluach explained the severity of the situation with just one statement. “I anticipate not to travel (with the team),” Knobluach told reporters when asked for an update.

In hindsight, it’s not difficult to see why Kris Knoblauch was so matter of fact about the update. During the accident, Stuart Skinner’s head snapped to the left as Rantanen’s knee made full contact. The Edmonton Oilers’ goalie immediately went down on the ice before slowly recovering from the hit. “It’s a good sign he is having a conversation,” said one of the announcers as Skinner spoke to the medical team on site.

However, this is the second straight match where the 26-year-old has sustained an injury. While he also had to skate off the ice on March 20 after sustaining a concussion, this one was far more severe yet. And from what Knoblauch said, the netminder definitely won’t play Thursday against the Kraken. Yet, the question is: Will he be out for an extended period ahead of the playoffs?

Stuart Skinner & Co. are three down before the playoffs

The Oilers have worked toward the upcoming NHL playoffs throughout the regular season. While Corey Perry, Adam Henrique, and Zach Hyman scored three goals, without Draisaitl, McDavid, and Calvin Pickard on the net, Dallas held them off. Despite the undeniably bad day, Kris Knoblauch did say he was “very pleased” with how the team played in the first and third periods.

Yet, one can’t help but ask: Would the result be different if the two star forwards had led Edmonton’s offense from the beginning? Yet it’s a question the Edmonton Oilers can’t afford to ask in the playoffs. There are no do-overs when elimination is at stake. So losing two offensive players and now, Stuart Skinner, at such a crucial point is a huge blow below the belt to the team.

Thankfully, it’s not all bad news in Oilers Nation. The Oilers’ head coach had some positive news for the fans ahead of the game. “Both not playing tonight. Leon will be back sooner than Connor. We are looking at a week or maybe shorter than that for Leon. Connor will be longer than that,” the 46-year-old said.

Leon Draisaitl even joined the Oilers during practice ahead of the game. However, this statement came before Stuart Skinner’s injury. Meanwhile, TSN’s Ryan Rishaug said that Trent Frederic, who the Oilers acquired ahead of the trade deadline, is also multiple weeks away from making his Oilers debut. Well, what do you make of the situation? Let us know in the comments.