Josh Archibald will suit up for the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night in Game 2 of the series against the L.A. Kings. (630 CHED: Face-off Show 6 p.m., game at 8 p.m.).
Archibald has played just eight games this season. He didn’t appear in a game until March 12 after recovering from myocarditis.
“Our staff here has put me on a good program. When I haven’t been able to travel I’ve been back here skating. We’ve been doing game sims,” said Archibald.
Archibald, who hasn’t been vaccinated against COVID-19, hasn’t been eligible to play outside of Alberta. However, he’ll now be able to travel to Los Angeles as this series continues.
“It’s my understanding his cardiologist was able to get a medical exemption for him based on his history of myocarditis,” explained head coach Jay Woodcroft. “He is an available player to us home or road.”
Archibald’s last playoff game was Game 3 against Winnipeg on May 23, 2021. He was penalized for a low hit on Logan Stanley, helping spur a Jets comeback win. Archibald was suspended by the NHL for Game 4 of the series.
“You gotta play on the edge, but you don’t want to go over. Obviously, there was some emotion last year that led to one thing,” Archibald said. “I just have to play on the edge, play my game, and play hard tonight.”
“I see a feisty type of guy, someone who gets in on the forecheck, finishes his check, detailed checker working back to his own zone,” said Woodcroft. “Somebody who is a good penalty killer. I think he’ll come into the lineup and give us a burst of energy.”
The Oilers expected lineup is:
Kane – McDavid – Puljujarvi
Hyman – Draisaitl – Yamamoto
Archibald – Nugent-Hopkins – Ryan
Foegele – McLeod – Kassian
Nurse – Ceci
Keith – Bouchard
Kulak – Barrie
Smith