Doc's note lets Archibald play in U.S. and Canada

There is no better time for Josh Archibald to finally regain his status as a full-time Edmonton Oiler than right now, with the team heading to Los Angeles for Game 3 and 4 of their playoff series.

After watching from the sidelines as a part-timer, grounded by his anti-vaccine stance, Archibald is now free to cross the border and hold up his end of the post-season workload.

He made his playoff debut in Game 2 on Wednesday at Rogers Place and, for the first time in more than a year, won't have to stay at home and wave goodbye while his teammates jet into the U.S.

“He's an available player for us going forward,” head coach Jay Woodcroft said. “It's my understanding that his cardiologist was able to get a medical exemption for him based on his history of myocarditis.

“He's an available player to us home or road. He's a really good option for us.”

Archibald adds an element of energy and tenacity that should come in handy in a hard playoff series.

“He's a feisty type of guy who gets in on the forecheck and finishes his check,” said Woodcroft. “He's a detailed checker working back to his own zone and a good penalty killer.”

Archibald missed the start of the season with COVID -related myocarditis and saw just seven games worth of action over the final six weeks of the schedule because travel restrictions for unvaccinated travellers means extended quarantines.

But the doctor's note frees him up to be a player on both sides of the border.

“Our staff has put me on a good program,” he said. “When I haven't been able to travel I've been back here skating. We've been doing game sims (simulations), so I've been keeping my legs up. I just have to play simple and be ready.

“I just have to play my game and play hard.”

PACKING A PUNCH

Speaking of playing hard, Kailer Yamamoto is establishing himself as a player who rises to the moment in the post-season.

Coaches never know what they're going to get from young players when the intensity ramps up in the spring, but the 153-pound 23-year-old is making himself quite at home in the playoff heat.

“You don't play in the NHL at his size unless you have a giant heart,” Woodcroft said. “He has a strong willingness to play the game hard, to go to hard areas and he's had success.

“He's somebody who comes to the rink every day with a purpose. He's a very, very good complimentary piece and as a result he's a popular linemate.”

Yamamoto is the right-winger of choice in the top six for a reason.

“He's in your face, he keeps pucks alive, he makes good plays when he has the puck,” said Leon Draisaitl. “He's just an all-around really good hockey player.”

And a nuisance to play against. “He plays inside you and that's annoying as an opponent,” Draisaitl said. “He plays inside your equipment. He gets underneath you. He's probably underneath your legs, too, somehow. He's a pest to play against. He's not fun to go up against. It is contagious within our group, for sure.”

Yamamoto isn't just a one-dimensional pest, though. He's a 20-goal scorer who can get his shots in offensively and he's good enough defensively to be on the penalty kill. After a slow start to his career (one goal in the first 26 games), he's establishing himself as a hard-edged player who can be counted on to show up when the going gets tough in the playoffs.

“That's what separates the best players in the world from everybody else — they have a measure of consistency to their game,” Woodcroft said.

“We're starting to see that more and more with Yamo.”