The Edmonton Oilers will have to make their playoff push without Leon Draisaitl.
The star forward is expected to miss the rest of the regular season with a lower-body injury, the team said Tuesday.
Draisaitl was forced to leave Sunday’s game against the Nashville Predators in the second period with an injury.
The star centre took a hit from Predators forward Ozzy Wiesblatt along the boards and went directly to the bench and down the tunnel with a noticeable limp in the first period. He returned and played a few shifts at the end of the first period, before not coming out for the second.
Draisaitl is fourth in the NHL with 97 points (35 goals, 62 assists) this season.
With 12 games left this season, the Oilers currently sit in the third and final playoff spot in the Pacific Division.
The Oilers are four points up on the first team outside the wild-card spots.
Draisaitl, who led Germany at the Olympics last month, is a five-time NHL all-star. He won the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player in 2020.
The Oilers host the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday (Sportsnet West, Sportsnet+, 9 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. MT).
