Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl out vs. Jets with undisclosed injury

When the Edmonton Oilers take on the Winnipeg Jets, they’ll have to do so without their leading goal scorer.

Forward Leon Draisaitl will miss Thursday’s game after suffering an undisclosed injury during Tuesday’s 7-1 win over the Utah Hockey Club.

The team released a lineup shortly before puck drop with Max Jones slotting in for Draisaitl. Sportsnet’s Gene Principe confirmed the big German was out.

He was previously listed as doubtful and head coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters earlier Thursday that the team considers him day-to-day.

Knoblauch also said the team is “definitely being cautious” with Draisaitl, who leads the league with 49 goals and the Oilers with 101 points.

“We’re hitting the near the end of the regular season, hitting the playoffs,” Knoblauch said. “We want 100 per cent from Leon when he’s healthy. And this is something we do not want to linger, same thing we treated (recently returned defenceman Mattias) Ekholm.

“We feel that this is something that (Draisaitl) probably could play through. Maybe it’s not an issue, we certainly don’t want it to be an issue for the long term. So this is definitely the right play, we believe.”

It’s a measured move from a team trying to secure home-ice advantage in the playoffs. The consensus, though, is that Draisaitl’s health matters more.

“Leon has played through so much, he’s a battler. So it’s not too often that he comes out lineup. We’re just being cautious here,” Knoblauch said.

With Draisaitl out, Knoblauch said he would juggle his lines outside his top unit of Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman and Jeff Skinner.

That could mean a hit to Edmonton’s recent improvement in depth scoring, particularly from the line of Viktor Arvidsson and Vasily Podkolzin centred by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

The Oilers play host to the powerhouse Jets on Thursday night. Catch the action on Sportsnet West or stream on Sportsnet+.