Draisaitl is fifth in the NHL with 97 points (35 goals, 62 assists) in 65 games.<\/p>\n
The 30-year-old was injured when he took a hit from Predators forward\u00a0Ozzy Wiesblatt<\/a> at 4:20 of the first period in the win against Nashville after scoring the opening goal at 3:12 on the power play.\u00a0<\/p>\n Draisaitl returned for two shifts toward the end of the first but did not play in the second or third.<\/p>\n \u201cIf he gets in that first game (of the playoffs), that\u2019s great,\u201d Knoblauch said. \u201cHe\u2019s not been on the ice yet. We anticipate he will be on the ice sometime this week and we\u2019ll have an indication of how that\u2019s going to go. I\u2019ll probably sometime in that first round.\u201d<\/p>\n Draisaitl returned home to Germany to receive treatment for the injury from a specialist.<\/p>\n While in Germany, he attended an FC Bayern Munich soccer game in Munich and spoke to a television reporter after the game. He was asked in German whether he would be able to play for the Oilers in the playoffs.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI hope so. That\u2019s the plan, the reason I\u2019m here right now,” Draisaitl told Sky Sport on March 21. \u201c(The recovery) will definitely take a few weeks, that\u2019s for sure. I hope we play long enough so I can help out again at some point.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Edmonton begins a three-game road trip at the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday (9:30\u00a0p.m. ET; ESPN, SN360). It has reached the Stanley Cup Final the past two seasons, falling to the Florida Panthers each time.\u00a0<\/p>\n Draisaitl had 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) in the playoffs last season, and 31 points (10 goals, 21 assists) in 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n