The Edmonton Oilers host the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night in a massive game. Both teams are entrenched in the playoffs but are battling for seeding before what should be a contentious first round. Edmonton will be without their two best forwards for the game and for a while as the regular season winds down. Sportsnet's Gene Principe has the latest on Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl's injuries ahead of the Oilers' big game.

From [Oilers coach] Kris Knoblauch with Leon/Connor update,” Principe posted. “‘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.'”

McDavid left the Oilers' loss to the Winnipeg Jets on March 20. He has a lower-body injury and has been ruled out for all of the games this week. While his point production is slightly lower than normal this year, it is still a massive loss for Edmonton.

Draisaitl did not play in that Winnipeg game and has not played since with an undisclosed injury. The Oilers star is in consideration for the Hart Trophy as the league's MVP but missing much more time than he has could hurt his chances.

The Oilers need both stars healthy for another playoff run

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Barring a massive change in the Pacific Division standings, the Oilers and LA Kings will play in the first round for the fourth straight year. Edmonton has won each of the first three matchups in seven, six, and five games, respectively. If Edmonton slides without their two stars this week, they could lose home-ice advantage in that matchup, which they have had each of the last three years.

The Oilers painfully lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last year to the Florida Panthers. With all of their regular-season success nearly guaranteeing them spots in the Hall of Fame, McDavid and Draisaitl need that ring. They were both phenomenal during the run, with McDavid winning playoff MVP. These injuries need to be dealt with to ensure they are healthy for the playoffs.

The Oilers finish this week off with a Thursday game in Seattle and a Saturday game against Calgary. Knoblauch's timeline puts Draisaitl's earliest possible return date as April 1 against the Vegas Golden Knights. There would be nine games left in the season from then on out, so that is a solid tune-up for playoff hockey.