A minor groin pull in practice was enough for Ales Hemsky to sit out on Thursday night, as the Oilers took on the Avalanche in a Northwest Division battle. The coaching staff made mention how they thought that the muscle pull was minor and that sitting the sniper was more of a precautionary measure, since the team isn't in any big battle for position in the standings at the moment. Without Hemsky, the Oilers were able to pull out a 3-2 win, so Hemsky may not be in a big hurry to return.
The 27-year old Czech forward has been enjoying a bit of a bounce back season after a 2010 season where he dealt with a major injury and missed 60 games. Already in 2011, Hemsky has picked up 6 goals and 9 assists in 20 games with the rebuilding club and he was placed firmly in the top 100 in pool scoring at the start of the week. If this groin injury is minor, which we have no reason to believe that it isn't, he should be rejoining an Oilers team that possibly found more of its stride by beating a divisional foe.
Hemsky's bounce back season is one of the few factors that have contributed to Chris M.'s great start to the regular season, where he finished Thursday night's action in a tie for 1st place, losing the first tie-breaker (goals) by one to Allan S.. Hemsky has failed to register a point in Week Eight, but if he can return to action for their final game, Saturday night against the Sharks, he could at least chime in with a point or two and help Chris back up to the top.Link to the Injury/News Page
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