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Connor McDavid sat out a second practice in a row with what the Edmonton Oilers are calling a lower-body injury
Connor McDavid sat out a second practice in a row with what the Edmonton Oilers are calling a lower-body injury.
And it could keep him out of Wednesday’s game at Rogers Place (6:30 p.m.) against potential first-round playoff opponent, the Vegas Golden Knights. If not multiple games.
“I’m surprised you guys noticed,” joked Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch, when grilled about his captain’s absence. “He is day to day. So, we’ll find out tomorrow or definitely the weekend or whatever, but it’s day to day.”
Minor as it may turn out to be, any injury to the heart and soul, not to mention the main driving force behind the wheel of the team, can’t come as good news at any point in the season, let alone heading toward playoffs with just six games left over the final nine days.
“The most important thing is playoffs and that we are ready,” said Knoblauch, whose squad sits second in the Pacific Division at 47-24-5, five points behind the Vancouver Canucks. “I think we’ve got depth. Obviously, you’re not going to replace Connor but we do have other healthy bodies. We’re not short-manned.
“We want to make sure everyone’s as healthy as possible going into playoffs.”
On Monday, the Oilers recalled forward Dylan Holloway from the farm team in Bakersfield, Calif., of the American Hockey League.
“Dylan’s played really well. Dylan was playing really well when he was with us and down in Bakersfield, he’s been able to build his game and get some more confidence in scoring goals,” Knoblauch said. “He’s just coming off a hat trick and we felt that this was an excellent opportunity to give him another opportunity.”
“There is a chance,” Knoblauch said. “He’s day to day, it’s a maintenance thing.”
McDavid is coming off two assists Saturday in a 4-2 win over the Calgary Flames and sits third overall in league scoring with 130 points (31 goals, 99 assists), one assist away from becoming just the fourth player in NHL history to record triple digits in a season.
“It will be in Connor’s hands. He’ll make the decision on how he feels,” Knoblauch said of a possible return to duty. “We don’t know how bad the injury is and we don’t know how early he can come in. He has the best feel of what’s best for him.
“Obviously, we’re looking long-term and we’re being protective, but ultimately he knows how he feels and we’ll have that discussion with him tomorrow morning and then we’ll find out. Is this a game that we should have you playing in? He might say, yes. He might say, ‘No, I need another day or two,’ and we’ll decide then.”
Chances are, if it’s left entirely up to McDavid, his No. 97 will be front and centre on the ice Wednesday.
“He’s very competitive,” Knoblauch said. “I think Connor probably has the most influence on what happens. I think T.D. (Forss, head athletic therapist) obviously would know about how he can handle it at the risk of making it worse or playing through it, and deciding between those two. And then, I guess, ultimately I am the one who makes the decision on who goes in the lineup.
“But I’ll be getting that information mostly from those two before I make that decision.”
If Knoblauch had his way, he would, of course, choose to enter playoffs with as healthy a roster as possible to give the Oilers their best chance at a Stanley Cup run.
At the same time, there is still a chance the club could benefit from further home-ice advantage by taking a run at wrestling the Canucks for top spot in the division — a place the Oilers haven’t finished in since 1987.
“Playoffs are obviously more important than what happens in the regular season, but going forward we want to win as many games as possible,” said Knoblauch, who took over for the ousted Jay Woodcroft following a 3-9-1 start to the season. “We’ve said that right from back in November, we’re just trying to win games and see how high we can climb in the standings.
“But we’re not going to sacrifice the health of anybody or push too hard that we’re not in an ideal situation heading into the playoffs.”
McDavid missed two games in late October with a lower-body injury prior to returning for the Heritage Classic.
But Knoblauch said the latest injury, sustained in the game against the Flames, is not related.
“He played up until, I think, five minutes left in the game and he felt some discomfort and we didn’t want to make it worse,” Knoblauch said. “And we held him back.”
