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The Edmonton Oilers may not have Leon Draisaitl back quite yet, but they're getting healthy in other areas ahead of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Mattias Ekholm and Stuart Skinner are expected to return from injury for Friday night's matchup with the San Jose Sharks, per NHL.com. Ekholm has sat out 13 of the last 17 contests, while Skinner missed seven in a row.
“A guy that can eat up minutes playing against other teams' top lines, but also a guy that our forwards, especially our skilled forwards, like to be on the ice with because he can transport the puck really nice,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said of Ekholm. “So, the role that ‘Ekkie' has is immense. He does so much for our team.”
Knoblauch said Skinner may be starting on Friday:
“He is cleared, he could play, he could be our starting goalie tonight, but with the amount of time we've had for practice and just being cleared, he's had a couple pre-game skates, we felt like giving him a little more time,” Knoblauch said of Skinner.
Ekholm is a key piece for the Oilers, scoring nine goals and tallying 24 assists in 2024-25. Skinner meanwhile, has a 24-18-4 record, allowing just 2.91 goals per game. Calvin Pickard has been playing in place of Skinner, and he could still get the nod here. Edmonton may hold Skinner out for a little bit longer. They're back in action on Sunday against the Winnipeg Jets.
The Oilers are in third place in the Pacific Division with a 45-28-3 record. McDavid just returned on Wednesday and had three assists. Draisaitl is likely going to rest up for the playoffs, but Edmonton is without a few others against San Jose, including Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, John Klingberg, and Trent Frederic.
What's most important is being close to full strength when the postseason begins.
