Josh Archibald had three hits and a fighting major in 6:26 in his season debut for the Oilers, a 4-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Rogers Place on Saturday.
The forward was out with myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, after contracting COVID-19 in the offseason. He is unvaccinated and is not allowed to travel with the Oilers to games in the United States.
"I've been welcomed with open arms, so it's good to be back," Archibald said Saturday. "It's a little different being it mid- to end-season now, but for me, I treat every game the same and I think that's what I have to do tonight; treat it as a hockey game and go out and play."
Archibald scored 13 points (seven goals, six assists) and had 37 penalty minutes in 52 games last season.
"I'm excited for what he can bring to the table for our team tonight," Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft said. "Obviously he skates really well, he gets in on the forecheck, he's a good penalty killer. He has experience in this league on good teams and I know he's really excited to play tonight, so I'm looking forward to watching him play."
Defenseman Tyson Barrie had two assists in 18:14 after missing three games with an upper-body injury. -- Derek Van Diest