McDavid out with injury in important Oilers-Canucks game
The Edmonton Oilers will be without captain Connor McDavid tonight in an important matchup against the Vancouver Canucks.
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed that McDavid is still dealing with an injury he sustained against the Calgary Flames last weekend and remains ‘day-to-day.’ This will be the third consecutive game that the Oilers captain has sat out.
“Connor will not be playing tonight, still day-to-day,” Knoblauch told reporters after this morning’s skate at Rogers Place. “He’s feeling better, and with the advice from the doctors and [head athletic therapist TD Forss], it’s best to just wait and see.”
McDavid was on the ice this morning with a thin group of other players for an optional skate. McDavid participated in some drills and was wearing a bottom-six blue jersey instead of his usual top-six white jersey.
McDavid on the ice with everyone else during this morning’s optional skate at Rogers Place #Oilers pic.twitter.com/2p2LEyWvBy
— Preston Hodgkinson (@NHLHodgkinson) April 13, 2024
Missing this game will be a significant loss for the Oilers. The winner of tonight’s game against Vancouver will likely decide who will win the Pacific Division. Though Edmonton has wanted to capture its first division title since the 1980s, Knoblauch says that isn’t the team’s top priority right now.
“The division title would be great and winning as many games as we can and possibly getting home ice for a longer period of time, but that’s not the most important thing,” Knoblauch explained.
It’s becoming clear that the Oilers are prioritizing McDavid’s health heading into the playoffs. The team has already clinched home-ice advantage for the opening round of the playoffs, and though the division title would be nice, it could be all for naught if McDavid is not 100% once the postseason begins.
The nature of McDavid’s injury has not been specifically clarified other than the fact that it affects his lower body. Knoblauch previously confirmed that the injury was not an aggravation of the one that kept him out of two games early in the season.
When asked about it yesterday, McDavid said it was a mix of a new injury and an old one possibly flaring back up. What Knoblauch did say is that it is not a serious one that is expected to force the reigning NHL MVP to miss any playoff games.
“He’s been getting better and better every day,” Knoblauch told reporters. “We’re just being cautious… I think it’d be different if it was playoffs, but we want to make sure everyone, not only Connor, is healthy and ready to go.”
With McDavid out tonight, you can expect the Oilers to run similar lines to what they trotted out in their previous two games.
The Canucks will also be without one of their star players as Thatcher Demko will not be between the pipes for Vancouver tonight. Instead, it will be Casey DeSmith who gets the nod. Stuart Skinner is the expected starter at the Oilers’ end and is looking to rebound from a few early-season losses against the Canucks.
Gametime is set for 8 pm MT on Hockey Night in Canada.
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