JAY WOODCROFT

TAMPA, Fla. — (AP) — Edmonton forward Evander Kane was cut on the left wrist by a skate blade Tuesday night and taken to the hospital with a frightening injury during the Oilers' 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Oilers said Kane was in stable condition and scheduled to undergo a procedure Tuesday night. Draisaitl has a five-game goal streak, and a point in nine consecutive games (seven goals, 18 points). “Draisaitl, he’s just a horse. McDavid and Draisaitl had power-play goals during the opening 4:07 of the second to put the Oilers up 3-1.

Edmonton forward Evander Kane was cut on the left wrist by a skate blade and taken to the hospital with a frightening injury during the Oilers’ 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Canada Oilers Hockey Edmonton Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft speaks at a media availability in Edmonton, Alberta, Monday, May 23, 2022. Edmonton went 26-9-3 with Woodcroft at the helm for the final 38 games of the regular season to finish second in the division. Woodcroft had been head coach of the Oilers’ AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, since 2018 before being promoted to Oilers head coach. Woodcroft and Oilers general manager Ken Holland were scheduled to discuss the extension in a teleconference on Wednesday. ___More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2022 The Associated Press.

The NHL playoffs are missing the close games and comebacks that seemingly comes annually with all the postseason intensity.

NHL teams are taking different approaches to crossing the U.S.-Canada border during the first round of the playoffs with the U.S. still requiring a negative COVID-19 test for all passengers arriving on international flights. The Edmonton Oilers flew to Vancouver and took buses into Washington state before flying to Los Angeles to avoid U.S. virus testing requirements, and the Toronto Maple Leafs took buses to Buffalo, New York, before flying to Florida for the same reason. The Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames all opted to test and fly direct when their respective series shifted from Canada to the U.S. late this week.

So much for the notion that goals are hard to come by in the playoffs.

(Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP) (DARRYL DYCK)EDMONTON, Alberta — (AP) — The Edmonton Oilers fired coach Dave Tippett on Thursday with the star-studded team scrambling to secure a playoff spot. Jay Woodcroft, the 45-year-old head coach of the Oilers' AHL affiliate in Bakersfield, California, will take over behind the bench. Tippett, 60, was named Oilers coach in May 2019, three weeks after Ken Holland was hired as GM and president of hockey operations. Tippett coached the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes from 2009-10 through 2016-17. Tippett, who played more than 700 NHL games, was a senior adviser with the Seattle Kraken before joining Edmonton.