As captain Connor McDavid returns to the lineup, one other Edmonton Oiler went down. In a gritty matchup towards the Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers ahead Mattias Janmark discovered himself on the receiving finish of a tough hit by Ivan Barbashev. Instantly, Janmark went down the tunnel to the Oilers locker room. Regardless of returning to the bench later within the recreation, Janmark was notably absent from apply on Thursday. Head coach Kris Knoblauch couldn’t affirm if the ahead can be obtainable Saturday versus the Vancouver Canucks after suffering an undisclosed injury.
With a couple of days of relaxation forward, Janmark could miss no time. But questions stay on how quickly he’ll be again within the lineup. If he’s out for any size of time, it’s a blow to the staff, significantly on the penalty kill – an space the Oilers can’t afford to see slip any additional.
Janmark’s Season Hasn’t Gone In response to Plan
Coming off a three-year, $4.35 million contract extension, Janmark has struggled to copy his postseason performances, significantly within the penalty-killing position. All through the 2024 postseason, Janmark and Connor Brown have been a number of the most prolific penaltykillers within the league, serving to the Oilers obtain a 94% success price. Now, for no clear purpose in any respect, the penalty kill presently sits with one of many worst success charges in NHL historical past by means of 14 video games with a 59.5% success price.
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Janmark’s offensive recreation hasn’t precisely gone to plan both, recording three factors in 14 video games, a median of 0.21 factors per recreation. Regardless of it being a serious drop-off from his playoff common of 0.32 factors per recreation, it’s nonetheless higher than the 0.17 factors per recreation common he achieved final season.
The excellent news is that Janmark’s harm doesn’t appear to be something too severe. His rapid return to the sport after the hit coupled with the few days of relaxation earlier than the following recreation favors a fast restoration. If Janmark is unable to return by Saturday, the Oilers could also be compelled to both name somebody up from the AHL or to play a recreation with 11 forwards and seven defensemen.
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