As we head into the 2025 National Hockey League postseason, the Edmonton Oilers currently have several players dealing with injuries. Among those not at 100% at the moment, and as a result missing games, are captain Connor McDavid of Richmond Hill, Ontario, the NHL’s leading goal scorer Leon Draisaitl of Cologne, Germany, the Oilers best defenseman Mattias Ekholm of Borlange, Sweden, the Oilers top goaltender Stuart Skinner of Edmonton, Alberta, the Oilers top forward trade deadline acquisition Trent Frederic of St. Louis, Missouri, and elite power forward Evander Kane of Vancouver, British Columbia.
You would think will all of this gloom the Oilers would have a massive losing streak? The answer is no. Yes, they were awful a week ago in a 6-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken. However, other than the one night of struggles, the Oilers have played excellent hockey and are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. Without their top guns, the Oilers have managed to come through with a swing of one goal victories and remarkably, have kept their chances of winning the Pacific Division still alive. After beating the San Jose Sharks 3-2 last night, the Oilers are only five points back of the Vegas Golden Knights for the division lead, and two points back of the Los Angeles Kings for second place.
The Oilers have not clinched a playoff spot yet, but after a three game winning streak without McDavid, Kane, Skinner, Ekholm and Frederic for all three contests, they are remarkably close. With seven games left, the Oilers lead the Calgary Flames by nine points, and the Vancouver Canucks by 12 points.
The players on the Oilers who have stepped up are goalie Calvin Pickard of Moncton, New Brunswick (career high 20 wins), center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of Burnaby, British Columbia (10 points in nine games), defenseman Darnell Nurse of Hamilton, Ontario (who is living up to his contract with responsible defensive play), and forwards Jeff Skinner of Toronto, Ontario and Victor Arvidsson of Kusmark, Sweden, who have been great offensively lately after slow starts to the season.
We know that Stuart Skinner has a concussion, Kane had injuries to his hips, knee, hernias, and abdominal muscles, and Frederic has a high ankle sprain. We do not know the nature of the injuries to Ekholm, Draisaitl and McDavid. For that, blame the NHL for allowing teams to list injuries as undisclosed. In the meantime, the Oilers are stepping up and playing good hockey as they await their stars to return.
