The Edmonton Oilers will be without left winger Toby Rieder for a bunch of games after he was injured Tuesday night against Montreal.
“Toby’s going to be out for probably a month. He has an upper body injury,” said head coach Todd McLellan after Thursday’s practice. “He became a very trustworthy player for us, a very solid defensive player, one that you could put out in any situation. Up front, he was creating well while maintaining that responsible aspect of the game. We’ll miss his speed, his aggressiveness on the forecheck.”
Patrick Russell, 25, has been called up from Bakersfield. He has nine points in 11 games this season with the Condors. Russell has been in the Oilers organization for over two years but has yet to play an NHL game.
McLellan has yet to name his starting goalie for Saturday’s game in Calgary. Mikko Koskinen has been hotter than Cam Talbot lately, though both men should start on the weekend with Vegas coming to Rogers Place on Sunday.
“It’s great to see Mikko come in and get some big wins for the team when my game isn’t where I want it to be right now,” said Talbot, who has lost his last four starts.
“There’s nothing better for a team than when both goalies are going,” said McLellan. “They’re both important. They’re both going to play games as we go forward.”
The Oilers and Flames will be on 630 CHED Saturday night with the Face-off Show at 6:30 p.m. The game will start at 8 p.m.