EDMONTON -- Oscar Klefbom practiced with the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday for the first time since breaking a finger on his left hand against the Colorado Avalanche on Dec. 11.
Klefbom, who sustained the injury blocking a shot by Avalanche forward Sven Andrighetto during a penalty kill, had surgery Dec. 15 and had been skating on his own prior to joining the Oilers for their first practice following their mandatory five-day break after the 2019 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend.
"It feels really good to be back on the ice and spending time with the guys again, it means a lot," Klefbom said. "It's been a long wait, and I can't wait to be on the ice to play some games. I'm very glad to be out there with them again. We'll see how it feels tomorrow, we have another practice (Friday morning)."
Klefbom's status for Edmonton's next game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday (1 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, NBCSP, NHL.TV) remains uncertain.
"We liked what we saw, we have another practice to go through tomorrow," Oilers coach Ken Hitchcock said. "First, we'll see how he feels in the morning after today. This is the first time he got knocked around a little bit. He didn't participate in the last drill on purpose. But he went the whole distance and we'll see how he feels in the morning. If he's able to participate again tomorrow, then it's up to Oscar and the doctors and the training staff. But the first test he passed, which was a good sign."
Edmonton (23-24-3), which is three points behind the Avalanche for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference, is 6-12-1 without Klefbom in the lineup. On Dec. 30, the Oilers acquired Brandon Manning in a trade from the Chicago Blackhawks and Alexander Petrovic in a trade from the Florida Panthers to add depth at defenseman.
In 31 games this season, Klefbom is second among Oilers defensemen with 15 points (three goals, 12 assists), behind Darnell Nurse (24 points in 50 games).
"It's good to see. We obviously miss him a lot, he's a big part of our team," Oilers captain Connor McDavid said. "It's good that he's back."
Klefbom was hit in the hand toward the end of practice and had his finger looked at by Oilers head medical trainer T.D. Forss.
"Things happen, it was a little slash. I think Jesse [Puljujarvi] tried to knock the puck down and he hit me where he was not supposed to hit me," Klefbom said. "That happens, but now it's good."
If Klefbom is unable to play against the Flyers or at the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday, Edmonton hopes he will be available when it hosts the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.
"We'll go day by day, it's a long season. There are going to be another 32 games to go, so I'm really excited to try and help the guys, because we're going for the playoffs," Klefbom said. "There are a lot of points to play for and I'm really excited to be back with the team."
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