Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl expected to return against Flames following four-game injury absence

Edmonton Oilers superstar forward Leon Draisaitl is expected to make his return to the lineup Saturday versus the Pacific Division rival Calgary Flames after missing the past four games due to an undisclosed injury, reports Oilers broadcaster Jack Michaels.

Sidelined since mid-March, Draisaitl has made 68 appearances with the Oilers this season in which he has produced 101 points including a league-leading 49 goals, seven ahead of fellow forward William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs. In Draisaitl’s absence, the Oilers went 1-2-1, a stretch that has also seen Oilers captain Connor McDavid sidelined for the past three games due to a lower-body ailment.

At morning skate Saturday, Draisaitl took to the ice centering a line with Viktor Arvidsson and Vasily Podkolzin, reports Sportsnet’s Mark Spector.

The third overall selection from the 2014 NHL Draft, Draisaitl has totaled 787 career contests with the Oilers in which he has tallied 396 goals and 555 assists for 951 points, including four consecutive seasons in which he has reached the 100-plus point plateau. Additionally, in 2019-20, Draisaitl claimed the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s top scorer after posting 110 points counting 43 goals and 67 assists in 71 outings, a performance that also earned him the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP.

Draisaitl’s impressive production has also followed through to the postseason underscored by last year’s run to the Stanley Cup Final where through 25 playoff outings he picked up 10 goals and 21 assists for 31 points before falling to the Florida Panthers in a seven-game final. In all, through 74 appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the 29-year-old German-born forward has registered 41 goals and 67 assists for 108 points.

For the Oilers, on the season the club sits 41-26-5 and third place in the Pacific Division with 87 points.