The status of the Edmonton Oilers’ No. 1 goaltender is up in the air as the team gets set to host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night.
Cam Talbot missed practice at Rogers Place on Wednesday.
“He tweaked something in his upper body,” Oilers head coach Todd McLellan said. “He’s getting looked at today. I’m not ruling him out for tomorrow, but if he can’t go tomorrow and doesn’t back-up, then we have to recall a goaltender.”
If the Oilers wind up bringing up a goalie from Bakersfield, then Anton Slepyshev or Jesse Puljujarvi would likely be assigned to the farm. They can both be sent down without having to be put on waivers.
The Oilers are going to need solid goaltending and defence against Toronto. The Maple Leafs boast the most potent offence in the NHL with a league-leading 92 goals. The Leafs’ resurgence should amp up the the showdown between two Canadian teams.
“Every game is exciting, but the atmosphere in the building is better. Our team seems to feed off that stuff,” Oilers winger Zack Kassian said. “It’s probably going to be emotional. Those are fun games to be in.”
Puljujarvi skated on a line with Connor McDavid and Milan Lucic at Tuesday’s practice.
With Talbot absent, Alberta Golden Bears goalie Kenny Cameron filled in at practice.
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