Draisaitl returns to Oilers lineup for playoff opener vs. Ducks

The Edmonton Oilers are ready to hit the ice and face the Anaheim Ducks for Game 1 of the playoffs. CTV News Edmonton's Nahreman Issa reports.

The Edmonton Oilers are getting an extra dose of superstar for their playoffs opener Monday night.

The National Hockey League team took Leon Draisaitl off their injury list late Monday afternoon, activating him for Game 1 of their first-round series against the visiting Anaheim Ducks.

Kris Knoblauch had been coy when asked if Draisaitl, a former NHL scoring champion and most-valuable player, and Jason Dickinson would be in the Edmonton Oilers’ lineup against the Anaheim Ducks in Game 1 of their playoff series The two centres have been out of the lineup recovering from injuries.

Repeating his expectation that the pair would be available “sometime during this first round,” Knoblauch told reporters the time of year – playoff season – also plays a role in keeping such news quiet.

“Now that it’s the playoffs, it’s a little more sacred about what our lineups are going to be,” he said at Rogers Place, where the puck will drop shortly after 8 p.m. “We’re not going to announce who’s playing and what our lines are going to be exactly.”

Draisaitl had been out of the lineup since March 15 with an undisclosed injury, while Dickinson has been sidelined since April after taking a shot off his skate.

Draisaitl had been a full practice participant in recent days, wearing a white practice jersey that indicated he would play among the team’s top six forwards. Dickinson skated on a third line at Sunday’s practice alongside wingers Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jack Roslovic.

Draisaitl said Sunday that balancing the desire to play and resting to recover is a challenge.

“There’s always a fine line of hurting yourself or your future or the team to grinding through something,” he told media. “You’ve got to find different ways to contribute and help your team. I know it’s going to take me a couple of games to really be myself, and that’s OK.”

Projected Oilers lineup

Forward

• Matt Savoie • Connor McDavid • Zach Hyman
• Vasily Podkolzin • Leon Draisaitl • Kasperi Kapanen
• Ryan Nugent-Hopkins • Jason Dickinson • Jack Roslovic
• Colton Dach • Adam Henrique • Trent Frederic

Defence

• Mattias Ekholm • Evan Bouchard
• Darnell Nurse • Connor Murphy
• Jake Walman • Ty Emberson

Goal

• Connor Ingram • Tristan Jarry

Projected Ducks lineup

Forward

• Chris Kreider • Leo Carlsson • Troy Terry
• Alex Killorn • Mikael Granlund • Beckett Sennecke
• Mason McTavish • Ryan Poehling • Cutter Gauthier
• Jeffrey Viel • Tim Washe • Ian Moore

Defence

• Jackson Lacombe • Jakob Trouba
• Pavel Mintyukov • John Carlson
• Tyson Hinds • Radko Gudas

Goal

• Connor Ingram • Tristan Jarry