Ennis out indefinitely for Oilers, won't play Game 4 against Blackhawks

Tyler Ennis is out indefinitely for the Edmonton Oilers with an injury, coach Dave Tippett said.

The Oilers play the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Qualifiers on Friday (6:45 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHL.TV, SN, NBCSCH), trailing the best-of-5 series and facing elimination.

Ennis was injured in a 4-3 loss in Game 3 on Wednesday when the forward's right leg twisted underneath him after he was hit along the boards by Blackhawks forward Kirby Dach with 3:15 left in the second period. Ennis put no weight on his right leg as he was helped off the ice to the locker room.

Tippett also said defenseman Adam Larsson will be reassessed for Game 4, which will be played in Edmonton, the Western Conference hub city.

Larsson, who had five hits and three blocked shots in 21:18 when the Oilers tied the series with a 6-3 win in Game 2 on Monday, was unfit to play in Game 3. As part of the NHL Return to Play Plan, a team is not permitted to disclose player injury or illness information.

Teams that win Game 3 after a series is tied 1-1 are 22-7 (75.9 percent) winning a best-of-5 NHL series (14-2 when last used from 1980-86). The series winner will advance to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Ennis has two points (one goal, one assist) in the series. He had an assist on Leon Draisaitl's goal to tie the game 1-1 at 9:42 of the first period before he was injured.

"It's disappointing," Draisaitl said. "It's sad that he had to leave the game. I thought he was a great addition to our team. Hopefully it's not too serious. Our team's deep enough that we can compensate for everyone."

Acquired by the Oilers in a trade from the Ottawa Senators on Feb. 24, Ennis scored four points (two goals, two assists) in nine regular-season games with Edmonton after he scored 33 (14 goals, 19 assists) in 61 games with Ottawa.

"You feel for [Ennis]," Oilers captain Connor McDavid said. "It's just an unfortunate play, his leg gets caught underneath him, and we're all thinking of him."

Larsson has no points in two postseason games after he scored six points (one goal, five assists) in 49 regular-season games. Caleb Jones replaced Larsson in the lineup for Game 3.

"Larsson, he's a huge part of our group," defenseman Darnell Nurse said. "He plays heavy every night, puts his heart on the line. You miss him, but [Jones] stepped in, played solid there. As a [defense] corps, we tried to make up for some of the things we didn't have with [Larsson]."