Oilers show off new power play unit without McDavid
The Edmonton Oilers power play will have to operate without the help of Connor McDavid for the next little while.
McDavid was injured in Saturday night’s game against the Winnipeg Jets, and the team announced on Sunday that the Oilers captain is expected to be out of the lineup for one to two weeks.
This means that the Oilers will have to play at least a few games without their top-line centre and the heartbeat of their ever-dangerous top power-play unit.
However, rather than looking at this as a hindrance, the Oilers should be treating this as an opportunity.
The team trotted out their McDavid-less power play units on Monday morning ahead of their matchup with the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night.
According to Sports 1440’s Jason Gregor, the Oilers’ top unit included Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman, Evander Kane, and Evan Bouchard.
The second unit consisted of Connor Brown, Warren Foegele, Ryan McLeod, Darnell Nurse, and Mattias Ekholm, with Dylan Holloway rotating in.
Draisaitl, RNH, Hyman, Kane and Bouchard 1st unit PP.
Brown, Foegele, McLeod, Nurse and Ekholm on 2nd unit. Holloway also rotating in. #Oilers
— Jason Gregor (@JasonGregor) October 23, 2023
Evander Kane is the sole new addition to the top unit. The 32-year-old power forward has looked very rough to start the season, with only one assist to show for in five games. He has also been a blackhole for offence, sporting a team-worst xGF% of 35.48.
This has resulted in Kane being demoted off the top line all the way down to the third line, a development that he is certainly not a fan of. However, with McDavid now out of the lineup for the next while, Kane’s fortunes might be on the verge of changing.
Instead of seeing less ice time, the former 30-goal scorer will seemingly get a chance to contribute to one of the best power play units in the league. The loss of McDavid will hurt the potency of the power play, but they are still retaining four of the five regulars that helped the unit convert at a 32.4% clip last season, which was a league record.
If there were ever a situation that could help jump-start Kane, it would be this one.
Responsibilities on the unit have changed a bit as well. Nugent-Hopkins will jump into McDavid’s spot on the left flank while Kane will take on Nugent-Hopkins’ old role as the bumper role in the middle of the ice, according to TSN’s Ryan Rishaug.
Zach Hyman appears to be keeping his net-front role.
Kane on PP1 in bumper spot today.
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) October 23, 2023
Another interesting storyline will be how the second power-play unit performs and how much time they will get to show their stuff. A McDavid-less top unit should give that second unit some more time to shine.
Every player on that second unit, except Nurse and Foegele, is still looking for their first goal of the season. New addition Connor Brown has especially struggled early in his Oilers tenure, with zero points in his first five games.
Some extended time with the man-advantage could give these players a chance at breaking a slump and, with that, renewed confidence that could lead to better even-strength play.
Don’t get it wrong, losing McDavid is a tremendous loss, even if it’s only for a week or two, but it also gives a few struggling players a chance to find their stride. An opportunity that wouldn’t be there if McDavid was healthy.
We’ll see if any can take advantage when the Oilers are in Minnesota for a date with the Wild on Tuesday night. Puck drop is set for 7 pm MT on Sportsnet West.