After Draisaitl's injury, Oilers lean on depth to grind out third straight win

SAN JOSE — Never in doubt.

Heaven knows it’s always about the stars with the Edmonton Oilers. But on a Thursday night in San Jose, an injury to Leon Draisaitl eclipsed a 3-2 win over the last-place Sharks.

Draisaitl left the game at almost exactly the 30-minute mark and did not return. With Connor McDavid not expected back for at least two games and probably more, Edmonton will hobble down the stretch minus its top two centremen, with Round 1 of the playoffs right around the corner.

Head coach Kris Knoblauch did not update Draisaitl’s injury post-game. The NHL’s leading goal scorer will be evaluated in the morning, and we’ll likely learn more after the Oilers’ Friday practice at the Los Angeles Kings’ practice ice in El Segundo.

So, without Draisaitl for the second half of the game — he did have a primary assist on Viktor Arvidsson’s power-play goal early in the second period — the Oilers leaned on the line of Mattias Janmark, Connor Brown and Jeff Skinner for a pair of goals in what turned out to be their third consecutive 3-2 win.

They’re grinding right now, these short-staffed Oilers. This marks 12 straight road games where Edmonton scored three or fewer goals.

“The last few nights, we’ve had to find a way to grind these ones out,” said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who led all Oilers forwards with 21:32 of ice time. “You're not always going to feel your best every night, and it's about finding ways to win games. That's what matters in the playoffs, and we’ve got experience at that.”

There’s a silver lining in here somewhere, underneath all the soft tissue angst of a team that will very likely be without Draisaitl, McDavid, Mattias Ekholm, Trent Frederic and No. 1 goalie Stuart Skinner on Saturday afternoon in a massive matchup against the Kings.

Where is that bright side to be found?

“It's guys like me,” said Brown, “and other guys who get to play a few extra minutes. Get to find some flow, find their game, find some touch. It was nice to score one tonight and get some looks.

“You know, it's a good time to get reps for guys like us. And I’m sure those (top) guys will be fine.”

Oilers fans can only hope.

McDavid looked great as he skated hard after Thursday’s morning skate. But now Draisaitl has a setback.

Draisaitl got tied up with Barclay Goodrow in the first period and got up slowly, then later stepped on a puck and fell awkwardly. He was last seen limping down the tunnel towards the dressing room halfway through the second, and that’s the last we saw of him.

Did he re-injure the lower-body malady that cost him four games recently? Is it something fresh? Did he come back too soon?

All good questions, and we don’t have the answers to match.

If playoff games are often won by the depth guys and foot soldiers — and they so often are — then winning games down the stretch with a bench devoid of a pair of 24-minute centremen should serve as an excellent dress rehearsal for these Oilers.

“You're getting a little bit more minutes, you're getting a little more offensive time,” said Nugent-Hopkins, who will be leaned on as a first-line centre as long as Nos. 29 and 97 are out. “So it gives guys the chance to feel the puck a little bit more. It forces guys to step up and have big nights.”

Skinner was one of those guys, another veteran player playing his best hockey as the playoffs approach. He tipped home his 15th of the season, and a slow start with a new team is fast disappearing into the rear-view mirror.

Skinner looks more like a guy who has some timely goals in him over a playoff run. If, that is, the Oilers can stay healthy enough to manage one of those.

Same with Arvidsson, who suddenly has goals in three straight games. Veteran players are usually comfortable in close games, and Edmonton (37) and San Jose (36) rank one-two in the NHL in one-goal games.

Goalie Calvin Pickard won his third straight, and in his 10th NHL campaign, the Winnipegger has won 20 games in a season for the very first time. This, at age 32.

“If you're going to win that many one-goal games,” said Skinner, “you need your goalie to make some big saves down the stretch because, most likely, the other team’s coming with a push.

“He’s a great pro. He puts in the work,” said Skinner, who should know. He’s played over 1,000 games himself.

“To be in the league that long is testimony to that. He’s had some real good success this year, and we’re happy to be part of it.”