The standings are incredibly close, and Anaheim and Los Angeles still haven\u2019t officially clinched playoff spots, although the Ducks just need one point in their final two games, while the Kings need two points from their final three games.<\/p>\n
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Vegas hosts Winnipeg tonight and Seattle on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The Oilers are home to Colorado tonight and Vancouver on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Anaheim is on the road for games in Minnesota on Tuesday and Nashville on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Los Angeles is on the road in Seattle tonight, Vancouver tomorrow and Calgary on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The Kings have won four in a row, and they play the three worst teams in the Pacific division. If they win all three of their games, the Oilers need to pick up three points against Colorado and Vancouver to finish ahead of L.A. The Oilers\u2019 final two games are extremely important.<\/p>\n
The Oilers parade to the infirmary<\/a> continued on Saturday as Max Jones<\/a> joined Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman and Jason Dickinson. Hyman is the closest to returning, and I expect him to play in Game 1. Stan Bowman said last week that Draisaitl is still on his original timeline, but that was vague because they never gave a \u201cready for Game 1 of playoffs\u201d answer in their initial diagnosis. Draisaitl<\/a> and Hyman skated today, but won\u2019t play tonight. Hyman might play on Thursday, while Draisaitl\u2019s earliest return would be for the playoffs.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are steps I have to follow and certain things I have to be able to do,\u201d said Draisaitl. \u201cI\u2019m not there yet right now. We\u2019ll see how that is by the end of the week or whenever Game 1 would be. There are certain things you can play through and other things where you have to think about your future and the team\u2019s future,\u201d he said. \u201cI think our staff and medical staff and myself, we know how to handle this situations, when it\u2019s good to go and when it\u2019s not.\u201d<\/p>\n They won\u2019t rush Draisaitl back. When he feels ready, he will play.<\/p>\n Jason Dickinson\u2019s return date is up in the air. My understanding is that he\u2019s been in a walking boot since the San Jose game to protect his foot, but it is progressing.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t really have an exact timeline, but he will not be playing these next two games. We\u2019ll reevaluate after the regular season\u2019s done,\u201d said Knoblauch.<\/p>\n Knoblauch said Max Jones will be out three to four weeks, but didn\u2019t give a specific timeline on Dickinson. I suspect that is due to Dickinson\u2019s more being a pain tolerance from a deep bone bruise or hairline fracture. My gut feel is that he will play at some point in Round 1, but whether that is early or late is undetermined.<\/p>\n Draisaitl mentioned earlier there are some injuries you can play through and some you can\u2019t, and I think Dickinson would fall in the former category, but you don\u2019t know when he will be ready due to pain tolerance and likely a bit of mobility concerns. It is difficult to freeze the ankle, because that can restrict mobility. And sometimes it is difficult to see a hairline fracture until the swelling goes down, which is what happened to Jake Walman earlier this season. So the reason Knoblauch can\u2019t give a specific timeline, is that they still don\u2019t know how serious it might or might not be.<\/p>\n The Oilers are banged up heading into the final week of the season and they called up Isaac Howard yesterday to ensure they have 12 healthy forwards available for tonight. Howard will play with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jack Roslovic, and hopefully he can bring some more offence.<\/p>\n \u201cHe is a better player now than he was earlier in the year,\u201d said Knoblauch. \u201cHe\u2019s better prepared to handle a big role, and we felt it was good to put him in that spot with two good players.\u201d<\/p>\n Howard said he\u2019s been working on his play away from the puck in Bakersfield.<\/p>\n \u201cJust small details, having my stick in the right lane in the defensive zone, being in better positions,\u201d said Howard when I asked him what small details he\u2019s worked on.<\/p>\n He also got some PK time the past few games, which is great for his development.<\/p>\n The Avalanche are banged up as well. Cale Makar, Josh Manson and Nazem Kadri won\u2019t play tonight. That is two of the Avs\u2019 top four D-men. Colorado has nothing to play for as they\u2019ve wrapped up the President\u2019s trophy, and the Oilers should be the most desperate team. They need a win\u2014and need to play like a team in need of a win\u2014 to ensure they remain in the Pacific division bracket.<\/p>\n SNAPSHOTS\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar was hit in the face by a puck during Saturday\u2019s Avalanche\/Golden Knights game and he won\u2019t be on the Avs\u2019 road trip due to facial fractures and a corneal abrasion. Keegan Kolesar was in the process of dumping the puck into the Avalanche zone when Jack Drury checked his stick, and the change in direction caused Kolesar to fire the puck at the Avalanche bench. Bednar won\u2019t require surgery and is expected to be back on the bench for the playoffs.<\/p>\n \u2014 Don\u2019t look know, but round five between the Oilers and Kings is still a possibility. The Oilers and Anaheim Ducks each have 90 points and two games remaining, while L.A. has 87 points and three games to play. L.A. plays Seattle, Calgary and Vancouver. The Ducks need at least one win, and maybe three points to hold off L.A.<\/p>\n \u2014 Draisaitl on his injury four weeks ago against Nashville. \u201cI knew there was something wrong right away. I\u2019m not necessarily a player who goes off like that with every little pinch I feel. I feel this was something a little more serious,\u201d he said, adding he came back to try it because in the moment it didn\u2019t feel that bad, but the next morning he knew it was serious.<\/p>\n \u2014 Martin Necas needs one point to reach 100 for the first time in his career. The Avs don\u2019t have much to play for tonight, but that is something that will motivate them. Necas, Mark Schiefele and David Pastrnak all have 99 points and should be the sixth, seventh and eighth players to reach the century mark. Draisaitl will finish the regular season with 97 points and miss out on his seventh 100-point season. He was on pace for 120+ points before getting injured. Bad luck for him.<\/p>\n \u2014 Spencer Stastney didn\u2019t stay late at practice today, which suggests he could draw in the lineup tonight. Mattias Ekholm and Jake Walman both skated, but I noticed Ekholm looked in discomfort on his last shift in the LA game, and Walman had another blocked shot that looked to sting him. Stastney might draw in for one of them tonight.<\/p>\n LINEUPS\u2026<\/p>\n Podkolzin \u2013 McDavid \u2013 Savoie Ekholm \u2013 Bouchard Ingram<\/p>\n The Oilers need wins, and we might see Ingram play both games this week, depending on what is at stake on Thursday. The Avalanche are highly skilled, and while they have nothing to play for tonight, other than Necas\u2019 100th point, the Oilers have to continue to play solid defensively and limit turnovers off of breakouts or rush chances. The Avalanche thrive off the rush, and they are the fastest team in the NHL. They can crush you on transition if you aren\u2019t aware or if you turnover the puck in the offensive zone.<\/p>\n Lehkonen \u2013 MacKinnon \u2013 Landeskog Wedgewood<\/p>\n
Howard \u2013 RNH \u2013 Roslovic
Dach \u2013 Samanski \u2013 Frederic
Kapanen \u2013 Henrique \u2013 Lazar<\/p>\n
Nurse \u2013 Murphy
Walman\/Stastney \u2013 Emberson<\/p>\n
Nichuskin \u2013 Nelson \u2013 Necas
Colton \u2013 Roy \u2013 Kiviranta
Kelly \u2013 Drury \u2013 O\u2019ConnorToews \u2013 Malinski
Kulak \u2013 Burns
Ahcan \u2013 Blankenburg<\/p>\n
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