Draisaitl returns to Oilers' lineup vs. Flames

Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl will return to the lineup against the Calgary Flames for the final regular-season edition of the Battle of Alberta on Saturday, the team announced.

Draisaitl missed the previous four games with an undisclosed injury. Edmonton went 1-2-1 and was outscored 18-12 during his absence. The Oilers are coming off a listless 6-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Thursday.

"I'll play through anything if it's at the right time," Draisaitl said earlier Saturday. "It has happened, unfortunately, the last two playoff runs for us, but I think this is not the time where you tinker with things like that, looking at the big picture. There's always a little bit of pain involved in everything ... but I'm certainly smart about it."

The German last played March 18 against Utah when he logged 22:23 of ice time and six shots on goal in the Oilers' 7-1 victory.

"It was kind of a weird play," Draisaitl said of his injury. "I felt it pop ... right away. Obviously I think you could see my discomfort. It was a weird situation. ... It feels good now, that's all that matters."

Draisaitl leads the league with 49 goals and ranks third with 101 points in 68 contests so far this season.

Captain Connor McDavid, meanwhile, will miss his fourth straight contest with his injury, which he suffered against the Winnipeg Jets last Thursday.

"In the big picture, I think it's good for guys to get two, three more minutes a night and find their game a little bit more (with myself and McDavid both out)," Draisaitl reasoned. "It was probably for the better for us."

It isn't clear if McDavid will join the Oilers on their upcoming four-game road trip beginning Tuesday against the Vegas Golden Knights, according to TSN's Ryan Rishaug.