Injury bites Edmonton Oilers again, centre limps off during practice, star winger still out

This in from Sportsnet’s Mark Spector, news that centre Jason Dicksinson hobbled off half-way through practice, and winger Zach Hyman is still out with injury:

“OUT tonight for EDM
Hyman, RNH, Walman.
Levi starts.
Dickinson limped off ice halfway thru practice.”

And from Bob Stauffer, the Oilers lines from practice before Dickinson limped off:

Podkolzin-McDavid-Draisaitl
Frederic-Dickinson-Kapanen
Formenton-Michaels-Joseph
Hallander-Samanski-Howard
Jones-Hyman

Ekholm-
Shea-Murphy
Mukhamadullin-Emberson
Walman
RNH-Dach rotating through the D

Levi
Jarry

My take

1. Dickinson limping off may be nothing, but it may be something. We’ll see. But it’s always worrisome when a player who has had a major injury continues to struggle with it.

2. Babcock was not happy with the way his team played in Los Angeles, and said his team faces a huge challenge in a deep Utah squad. “We’ve got lots of work to do … We have to have way more time with the puck than we’ve had and play a way heavier game. So that is the challenge for our people that are getting great opportunities.”

Babcock said against Los Angeles the team didn’t have enough time in the offensive end: “We are one and done too much. The bottom line is, a big part of the league is, no on lets you have the puck. And when you’re a young guy and you come in the league, you think you’re going to have the puck. No, you’re not. You got to earn the puck. When you get it you got to hang on to it, or you got to backcheck and play defence. It’s way more fun to play on offence, so hang on to the thing.”

Babcock said he was glad the team got a good start against Los Angeles and found a way to win the game, but he didn’t want that kind of game to be seen as any kind of blueprint for how the team should play.

3. The Grade A shots against the Kings were 11 for both team, but in the subset of most dangerous five-alarm shots, it was 7-to-5 for Los Angeles. If the Kings had not fanned or missed the net on a number of great chances, L.A. might well have won that game. It’s good to hear Babcock recognize that and push for a better performance from the Oilers. The team came close to losing to a mediocre Kings squad.