As captain Connor McDavid returns to the lineup, one other Edmonton Oiler went down. In a gritty matchup in opposition to 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 sport, Janmark was notably absent from follow on Thursday. Head coach Kris Knoblauch couldn’t affirm if the ahead could be obtainable Saturday versus the Vancouver Canucks after struggling an undisclosed harm.
With just a few days of relaxation forward, Janmark might 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 line with 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 had been among the most prolific penaltykillers within the league, serving to the Oilers obtain a 94% success price. Now, for no clear cause in any respect, the penalty kill at present 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 sport hasn’t precisely gone to plan both, recording three factors in 14 video games, a mean of 0.21 factors per sport. Regardless of it being a significant drop-off from his playoff common of 0.32 factors per sport, it’s nonetheless higher than the 0.17 factors per sport common he achieved final season.
The excellent news is that Janmark’s harm doesn’t appear to be something too severe. His fast return to the sport after the hit coupled with the few days of relaxation earlier than the following sport favors a fast restoration. If Janmark is unable to return by Saturday, the Oilers could also be pressured to both name somebody up from the AHL or to play a sport with 11 forwards and seven defensemen.
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