It was a close call on Friday afternoon for the Edmonton Oilers, as their playoff-leading goal scorer Leon Draisaitl left the ice during practice after being hit in the face with some friendly fire.
Head coach Jay Woodcroft didn’t seem too perturbed by it, however, while speaking to reporters following practice.
“Did he leave the ice?” Woodcroft joked when asked for an update on Draisaitl’s condition.
“I would say it’s a little bit of playoff makeup, I think he probably had one or two sutures,” he continued. “He’ll be just fine.”
A sigh of relief for Oilers fans as Draisaitl is in the midst of a historic playoff campaign — scoring 11 goals in seven games, a feat not accomplished in the NHL since 1922 — which was punctuated Wednesday night with a four-goal effort.
Draisaitl is no stranger to playing through injury for the chance to win the Stanley Cup, as he helped lead the Oilers to a Western Conference Final appearance in 2022 against the Colorado Avalanche with a high-ankle sprain.
The Edmonton Oilers trail the Vegas Golden Knights 1-0 in the Western Conference semifinals. Catch all the Game 2 action Saturday on Sportsnet and Sportsnet NOW at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT.