Oilers Forward Out Indefinitely with Undisclosed Injury
The Edmonton Oilers are battling for the Pacific Division title during the homestretch of the regular season, but injuries aren’t making it easy for the Stanley Cup runner-ups.
Edmonton has been without several key players in recent weeks, including Leon Draisaitl, Colton Dach, Mattias Janmark and Curtis Lazar — all of them forwards.
On Friday, head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed another injury to a member of the unit, adding to the growing list of unavailable forwards.
“(Trent) Frederic is out with an injury,” Knoblauch said, “and I don’t have a timeline for (his return).”
Frederic suffered his injury during Thursday’s 4-0 loss to the Florida Panthers. He left before the start of the third period and didn’t return.
The 28-year-old forward has appeared in 67 games this season for Edmonton, which acquired him in a trade last year. He has four goals and two assists while averaging 10:45 of ice time per game.
Frederic’s absence further thins an Oilers forward group that has been forced to rely heavily on call-ups and constant adjustments of late.
Adding insult to injury, Frederic’s injury comes shortly after the team placed Draisaitl on long-term injured reserve, opening salary cap space but removing one of the league’s top scorers from the lineup for the remainder of the regular season.
With 12 games left on the schedule, the Oilers will continue their homestand on Saturday when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning at 10 p.m. ET.
Kucherov takes the NHL points lead from McDavid in the Lightning’s 5-2 victory over the Oilers
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Nikita Kucherov had two goals and two assists to take the NHL scoring lead from Edmonton star Connor McDavid in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 5-2 victory over the Oilers on Saturday night.
Kucherov scored his 39th and 40th goals and had his 77th and 78th assists to push his season points total to 118. McDavid had his 38th goal to get to 116. Kucherov has 12 points in his last three games and 22 in his last eight.
Anthony Cirelli also scored twice, Jake Guentzel added a goal and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 25 saves for Tampa Bay. Second in the Atlantic Division, the Lightning have won three in a row and four of five.
Josh Samanski also scored for Edmonton, and Connor Ingram stopped 22 shots. Second in the Pacific, the Oilers have lost two in a row.
The Lightning took a 3-1 lead with three minutes left in the second period. Kucherov emerged from the penalty box at the end of the first half of an Edmonton five-on-three advantage. and J.J. Moser sprung him on a breakaway for his first career short-handed goal.
