Knoblauch: 'Good chance' Draisaitl returns to lineup vs. Flames

Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said there is a "good chance" superstar forward Leon Draisaitl will return to the lineup against the Calgary Flames in the final regular-season edition of the Battle of Alberta on Saturday.

The Oilers also posted "Leo's back" on X earlier in the afternoon.

"I felt good out there," Draisaitl said. "Obviously have to talk to the doctors and see what the final decision, but all I can say is I felt pretty good."

"I'll play through anything if it's at the right time," he added. "It has happened, unfortunately, the last two playoff runs for us, but I think this is not the time where you tinker with things like that, looking at the big picture. There's always a little bit of pain involved in everything ... but I'm certainly smart about it."

He has missed the previous four games with an undisclosed injury. Edmonton went 1-2-1 in his absence while getting outscored 18-12. The Oilers are coming off of a listless 6-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Thursday.

Knoblauch said Wednesday that it was possible for Draisaitl to miss another week.

The German last played March 18 against Utah when he logged 22:23 minutes of ice time and six shots on goal in the Oilers' 7-1 victory.

"It was kind of a weird play," Draisaitl said of his injury. 'I felt it pop ... right away. Obviously I think you could see my discomfort. It was a weird situation. ... It feels good now, that's all that matters."

Draisaitl leads the league with 49 goals and ranks third with 101 points in 68 contests so far this season.

Captain Connor McDavid, meanwhile, is set to miss his fourth straight contest with his injury, which he suffered against the Winnipeg Jets last Thursday.

"In the big picture, I think it's good for guys to get two, three more minutes a night and find their game a little bit more (with myself and McDavid both out)," Draisaitl reasoned. "It was probably for the better for us."

It isn't clear if McDavid will join the Oilers on their upcoming four-game road trip beginning Tuesday against the Vegas Golden Knights, according to TSN's Ryan Rishaug.

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