Injuries to key players give other Oilers chances to step up at crunch time

The Oilers begin the final week of the NHL regular season in first place in the Pacific Division. The Panthers won't be part of the final series.

The silver lining of the Edmonton Oilers having two former 50-goal scorers out of the lineup while they’re trying to secure a playoff spot with five games left?

Opportunities for other players to see the ice more, build their game “and feel good about themselves,” head coach Kris Knoblauch said Monday.

With star centre Leon Draisaitl out of action for the final month of the regular season and now sniper Zach Hyman lost to injury as Western Conference teams jostle for playoff position, the road to securing a spot in the National Hockey League post-season is a little rougher for the Oilers, who’ve had to endure a spate of ailments to several players of late.

And while the Oilers expect both Draisaitl and Hyman to return to action by season’s end, Knoblauch said after Monday’s practice the added responsibilities for others in their absence should prove valuable come playoff time.

“You’re always going to have injuries,” he told reporters. “Guys are going to be banged up, but you also have guys whose play fluctuates.

“Then the other (consideration) is what do you need going from game to game. Maybe you need a little more intensity, a little more forechecking, physicality. Maybe you need a penalty killer. Whatever it is, there will be rotation. We saw in the last two years and playoffs here, where guys are in and out of (the) lineup (based) on what the team needs at that time.”

That was certainly true over the Stanley Cup Final runs the Oilers charted the past two seasons, particularly among the bottom-six role playing forwards and the depth defencemen, precisely the players who now are being asked to shoulder more of the load with key ones sidelined.

“This is an opportunity for them to really solidify and say, ‘I deserve to be in that lineup for Game 1 of the playoffs,’” Knoblauch said. “We’re going to need everybody.”

That was the case in the Oilers’ previous game, a 5-1 home loss on Saturday to the Vegas Golden Knights that saw several often-bottom-sixers rack up extra minutes, including the likes of Max Jones, Trent Frederic, Adam Henrique, Josh Samanski and Curtis Lazar.

And as typically happens at the end of any regular season, all the Oilers’ games come against Western Conference foes, several who they’re fighting with for position.

Heading into Monday’s NHL action, the Oilers held first place in the Pacific Division, tied with the Anaheim Ducks with 87 points but seeded first given more regulation wins, while the Golden Knights sit a point back in third. The division-rival Los Angeles Kings sit just outside the Western playoff picture with 81 points.

The Oilers’ final road trip of the season, a three-game jaunt starting Tuesday in Salt Lake City, comes against the Utah Mammoth, a potential first-round opponent depending on where in the standings the Oilers finish.

For star captain Connor McDavid, however, simply clinching a spot in the post-season dance is more important than in what spot they ultimately finish, as much as home-ice advatange would be welcome.

“The most important thing is just getting the ‘X’ beside our name,” McDavid said, referring to the marker in the printed standings denoting a playoff-bound team.

“We still don’t have an ‘X’ beside our name, and that’s all we’re focused on. Seeding, positioning, it’s not all that important. We feel good, no matter where we start. With that being said, obviously we know our building, we know our home, our fans and how excited they are. It is a difference maker, so starting at home would help.”