Goaltender Mike Smith could return to action Wednesday night for the Edmonton Oilers when they visit the St. Louis Blues.
“I’m available. We’ll see what coach has to say, but I’ll be available for tomorrow and be on the road trip,” Smith said after Tuesday’s practice at Clake Drake Arena.
Smith has been out since Oct. 19 when he left a game against Anaheim with a lower-body injury. It was the Oilers third game of the season.
“To be honest, it was something I was dealing with a for a little bit of time,” Smith explained. “It just got to the point where I couldn’t play the way I needed to play. That third game, it was starting to affect the way I was able to move around. I had to make a call.
“It wasn’t like I couldn’t play. It was just more that I couldn’t play up to the capabilities I needed to play.”
Initially, Smith was day-to-day, but he suffered setbacks along the way
“It seemed like the more I pushed it, the worse it got,” explained Smith, who declined to specify the exact nature of the injury. “The more time I took off, it got a little better. Came back, got worse. It was a finnicky thing.”
Forward Zach Hyman should also be back in action. He missed three games after suffering a shoulder injury on Dec. 11 against Carolina. He was crunched into the boards by Hurricanes defenceman Brady Skjei.
“Shoulder just got jammed up into the boards,” recalled Hyman. “It was a hit I take all the time. Shoulder just went in awkwardly.”
“He touches so many parts of the game,” Oilers head coach Dave Tippett said of Hyman.
“His work ethic and attitude is infectious out there. He brings energy.”
Defenceman Duncan Keith practised on Tuesday as he returns from COVID-19 protocol.
The Oilers’ expected lineup against the Blues is:
Foegele – McDavid – Hyman
Nugent-Hopkins – Draisaitl – Yamamoto
Shore – Ryan – Sceviour
Benson – McLeod – Turris
Keith – Ceci
Koekkoek – Barrie
Samorukov – Bouchard
Smith
The Oilers and Blues can be heard on 630 CHED on Wednesday with the Faceoff Show at 5 p.m. The game will start at 6:30 p.m.
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