Those concerned about Edmonton Oilers winger Isaac Howard can breathe a slight sigh of relief, as after a scary knee-on-knee collision Saturday, head coach Mike Babcock offered a promising update.Howard left the Oilers’ 4-0 win over the New York Islanders just 2:22 into the game after, on his first shift of the game, he went knee-on-knee with Islanders winger Emil Heineman. Howard hit the ice in pain and had to be helped off. Heineman, meanwhile, was issued a five-minute major for kneeing and was ejected from the game.

Emil Heineman is assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for kneeing Isaac Howard.

Howard was helped off the ice and went down the tunnel.

While Sportsnet colour commentator Louie DeBrusk said later in the game that Howard was seen walking around the locker room area, Babcock said after the game the injury may not be as bad as it looked.

“We’re hoping for a real good kind of recovery day for him tomorrow, and then if he doesn’t, we’ll get on with the medical part of looking into it, but they think it’s favourable,” Babcock added in his post-game scrum.

That indication means Howard will be out of the lineup Sunday night when the Oilers visit the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden in the team’s first back-to-back of the season.

Howard, 22, has appeared in 12 games this season heading into Saturday’s game, scoring a goal and three points, averaging nine minutes and 35 seconds of ice time. With Howard set to miss the game, one of Max Jones or Filip Hallander will be expected to enter the lineup.

Howard is the latest Oilers player to go down with injury, as Zach Hyman and Jason Dickinson have been in and out of the lineup, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins just returned from injury himself. The team is still without Matthew Savoie, Devon Levi, Freddie Andersen, Mattias Janmark, and Alec Regula.

After their game against the Rangers, the Oilers continue a three-game road trip through the Tri-State area Tuesday night, visiting the New Jersey Devils. The team will then return home for a four-game homestand, facing the Anaheim Ducks, the Vancouver Canucks, the Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers.Zach Laing is the managing editor at Daily Faceoff Edmonton and news director at The Nation Network. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.Letters to the EditorPhotoshop by Tom KostiukDaily Faceoff Edmonton wants to hear from you, the reader, in our new weekly “Letters to the Editor” segment. Letters can be emailed to Daily Faceoff Edmonton’s managing editor Zach Laing (zach.laing@bettercollective.com), titled “Letters to the Editor.” Please include a letter up to 200 words, including your name and place of residence (city, town, province, or state). Your letters may be edited for length and/or clarity. Letters must be submitted by Sunday morning to be considered for that week’s edition.