Watch: Oilers' Vincent Desharnais engages in intense fight with Josh Manson

By Ankit Kumar

Modified Mar 22, 2024 16:46 GMT

Edmonton Oilers defenseman Vincent Desharnais is undergoing evaluation for an injury following a fight on Saturday night. The altercation occurred during the second period of the Oilers' 3-2 overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

In a scrum near the Oilers' net, Avs defenseman Josh Manson attempted to hit Vincent Desharnais into goaltender Stuart Skinner. This led to Desharnais and Manson engaging in a fight near the boards, with Desharnais pulling off Manson's helmet.

Although no visible injury was observed, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch mentioned that Desharnais "could be" dealing with an injury related to the scuffle. Desharnais, standing at 6-foot-7, logged 12:29 of ice time before the altercation but did not take a shift in the third period.

If Desharnais is sidelined, Troy Stecher, acquired at the NHL's trade deadline, is likely to step in on the right side of the Oilers' defense. He is currently listed as day-to-day in the injury report.

According to Oilers Nation, Desharnais broke one of his fingers. Earlier, Nick Foligno of the Blackhawks also suffered a broken finger and will likely take 2-3 weeks to heal.

Vincent Desharnais and Oilers lose 3-2 to Avalanche

Artturi Lehkonen's last-second heroics secured the Colorado Avalanche's sixth consecutive victory in a hard-fought 3-2 overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers. Lehkonen's goal, assisted by Nathan MacKinnon, marked his 12th of the season and extended MacKinnon's points streak to 15 games.

MacKinnon's three-point streaks of 14 or more games in a single season places him in elite company alongside Wayne Gretzky, Marcel Dionne and McDavid.

Sean Walker, with two regulation goals, emphasized the team effort in securing the win:

"I think it was just a team win. ... Every game is going to be like that coming soon."

The Oilers had goals from Warren Foegele and Sam Carrick, but Connor McDavid was held without a point, ending his home points scoring streak at 26 games.

Goaltender Alexandar Georgiev's 32 saves were crucial for the Avalanche, while Stuart Skinner's 40 stops for the Oilers kept the game tight.

A pivotal moment came when Jonathan Drouin was denied on a penalty shot early in the second period. However, Walker broke the deadlock for the Avalanche shortly after with his first goal for the team.

Although Edmonton appeared to tie the game early in the third, a video review disallowed the goal due to a distinct kicking motion by Zach Hyman. Goals from Foegele and Carrick gave the Oilers the lead, only for Colorado to equalize with 5:20 remaining, courtesy of Casey Mittelstadt's feed to Walker.

The return of key players Zach Parise, Lehkonen, and Drouin bolstered the Avalanche lineup.