Leon Draisaitl returns to Oilers’ lineup for playoff opener against Ducks
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EDMONTON –
The Edmonton Oilers got a boost in Monday’s opener of their first-round playoff series against the Anaheim Ducks with the return of Leon Draisaitl.
Draisaitl missed the final 14 games of the regular season with a knee injury.
The German star was activated from the long-term injured list before Monday’s game, and assisted on Edmonton’s second goal of the first period scored by Kasperi Kapanen.
Draisaitl skated with the team over the past week.
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch predicted the forward would return some time during the first round, but had been coy about when.
“Now that it’s playoffs, it’s a little more sacred about what our lineups are going to be,” Knoblauch said Monday morning. “We’re not going to announce who’s playing and what our lines are going to be exactly.”
Draisaitl has compiled x142x points in 97 career playoff games.
Edmonton went 8-4-2 without Draisaitl to close out the season in second place in the Pacific Division and get home-ice advantage for their series with Anaheim.
Draisaitl compiled 35 goals and 62 assists in 65 games this season. He just missed out on a fifth straight 100-point campaign.
The Oilers seek to advance to the Stanley Cup final for a third straight year and win it this time. Edmonton lost the final to the Florida Panthers the last two years.
Draisaitl and Oilers captain Connor McDavid co-led last year’s playoffs with 33 points in 22 games apiece.
“Adding a player like Leon definitely makes a big difference,” Knoblauch said.
“It affects the other team, just with matchups, because now you’ve got two premier players that you really have to worry about and have to focus on.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 20, 2026.