Brutal injury news for Oilers for the Western Conference Final

The Edmonton Oilers eliminated the Vegas Golden Knights in five games in the second round of the postseason and now await the winners of the series between the Winnipeg Jets and Dallas Stars to face off against them in the Western Conference Final.

However on Friday, head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed that the Oilers are dealing with injured players that will not be ready for the start of the Western final series, per Daily Face-Off. 

Goalie Calvin Pickard is currently out with an undisclosed injury and will not be ready for the beginning of the series. Same goes for defenseman Mattias Ekholm who is expected to miss Game 1 and Game 2 of the series with an undisputed, but is likely for Game 3.

The Oilers won the best-of-seven second-round series on Wednesday night and secured the club’s place in the Western Conference final for the second year in a row. It’s the first time in 33 years the Oilers will play in the conference finals in back-to-back seasons.

Next up, Edmonton will face the winner of a second-round series between the Jets and Stars with Dallas holding the 3-2 edge ahead of Saturday’s Game 6.