Oilers announce starting lineup and goalie vs Calgary Flames, major update on Draisaitl

Yesterday, insiders revealed that Draisaitl may make a return from his injury sooner than expected, and him practice would be a good sign that he will play against Calgary.

At practice today, insiders confirmed that Draisaitl will be returning to the lineup tonight. He'll be back on the first line, next to regular linemates in Podkolzin and Arvidsson.

If Draisaitl is able to play tonight, he'll be making a return earlier than expected. Coach Knoblauch ruled out both McDavid and Draisaitl for tonight's game earlier this week.

Calvin Pickard will get the start in goal over top prospect Olivier Rodrigue, who has been called up to backup after Stuart Skinner's injury.

Many Oilers fans were hoping to see Rodrigue get a few starts while Skinner is out, but Coach Knoblauch is clearly leaning on his veteran while in pursuit of home ice advantage in the playoffs. The Oilers desperately need to rack up some wins.

It a great to get Leon Draisaitl back, but the Oilers are still missing a slew of important players - with more new absences at practice too.

Connor McDavid and Stuart Skinner remain off the ice entirely, although the team is expecting them to return soon. Trent Frederic is still not on the ice, and now may not be able to return until the playoffs. Corey Perry and John Klingberg are absent despite not dealing with a publicly known injury, and Mattias Ekholm is away again - clearly battling through a problem that the Oilers are heavily downplaying.

The Oilers want to rack up wins to ensure home ice advantage in the playoffs, but with the breadth of their current injuries, it just doesn't seem possible. Their only priority should be getting fully healthy and prepared for playoffs. Missing out on home ice is a result of yet another slow start to the season.