It will be a game-time decision whether Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisaitl will play in Game 2 of the NHL playoff series against the Canucks in Vancouver Friday night.
The 28-year-old forward missed practice with the team on Thursday but said Friday he was feeling a little bit better.
“We’ll see how I feel tonight and make a decision then,” he said Friday. “We’ll leave it at that.”
Draisaitl and the team have been tight-lipped about the injury. He appeared to be labouring late in the Oilers’ Wednesday night 5-4 loss to the Canucks.
“It’s an important time of year and we all want to be out there and be playing,” Draisaitl said, adding it would “take a lot” to keep him out of the game.
“At the end of the day it’s my body and that’s most important… We’ll see tonight.”
Draisaitl was limited to 16:43 of ice time, below the 20:41 he averaged per game in the regular season.
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said Draisaitl was dealing with “cramping and equipment issues” that kept him off the ice.
“You obviously have to consider about his health, his well-being for long term,” Knoblauch said Friday.
Knoblauch said both Draisailt and Adam Henrique, who missed Game 1 with an ankle injury, will be game-time decisions. They will take part in warmup Friday night and the decision on whether they play will be made after that.
The Oilers are looking to come back strong Friday night, after blowing a 4-1 lead Wednesday night.
Knoblauch called the team a very resilient group who have handled adversity very well throughout the season.
“The teams that have good long playoff runs and are successful are able to put whatever happened in the past behind them and move on to the next game,” he said.
“We’re putting Game 1 behind us and we’re getting ready for Game 2.”
Goaltender Stuart Skinner allowed five goals on 24 shots during Game 1. When asked about Skinner’s performance, Knoblauch said the pair talked and it wasn’t much different than other conversations they’ve had when he’s had a shutout.
“He’s always bounced back very well. I think his body of work says a lot about him,” Knoblauch said. “When he has had an off game, he’s always responded and played very well.”
The game is scheduled for 8 p.m. MT.