Leon Draisaitl left the game between the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks in the second period, went to the locker room, and didn’t return as the second intermission began. It wasn’t clear what kind of injury he might have suffered and broadcast analysts tried to figure out where and when he might have suffered something that would have kept a genuinely tough player out of action. It turns out, according to the Oilers coach, that it was cramping and equipment issues.
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Draisaitl returned for the third period and while he didn’t quite look the same and wasn’t as sharp — most Oilers weren’t in the comeback win by Vancouver — he labored slightly but didn’t look injured. Draisaitl didn’t speak with the media after the loss. He was being worked on by trainers and medical staff. But, in a postgame interview, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed it was cramping issues.
It is not expected to be a long-term issue or concern added Knoblauch. At the same time, there’s going to be worry among the Oilers’ fan base. Having a less-than-healthy Draisaitl is a massive problem for the Oilers who now find themselves down a game after seemingly having Game 1 in hand.
Draisaitl’s Issues Turned the Momentum Against Edmonton
The timing of Draisaitl’s leaving was in line with the timing of Vancouver’s push. Down 4-2 heading into the third period, the Canucks pressed hard and scored three unanswered goals to take the lead. More upsetting for Edmonton was the fact they didn’t have a shot on goal until the 14-minute mark of that period and Connor McDavid was held shotless for the first time in his playoff career.
Edmonton didn’t play well in the latter half of the game, but concern over Draisaitl seemed to deflate the team instead of motivating them to pick up their pace after one of their top guys looked like he might be out.
The expectation is that Draisaitl will play in Game 2, but this will be a situation worth keeping an eye on.