Oilers star center Connor McDavid left Monday’s game against the Blue Jackets just 37 seconds into his first shift with a “lower-body injury.” On Wednesday afternoon, the Oilers announced that he sustained an ankle injury and will be sidelined for the next two-to-three weeks.
McDavid has yet to be placed on Injured Reserve, and while Edmonton’s star avoided serious injury, any news about McDavid being sidelined doesn’t necessarily bode well for the team’s success. The Oilers have gotten off to an underwhelming start, a yearly tradition at this point, and even McDavid was underperforming (by his standards), posting three goals and 10 points through the first 10 games of the season.
With McDavid on the shelf, Leon Draisaitl (6G, 4A) will be expected to pick up the slack even more. Winger Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (1G, 3A) is expected to move over to center for the time being while veteran Jeff Skinner (2G, 2A) will move up to the first line again and further solidify his top-six role. Edmonton’s upcoming schedule is not friendly, either, so Draisaitl and company must be at the top of their games in order to stay in the mix for the Pacific Division. The Oilers are just 4-5-1 and find themselves in 13th place in the Western Conference.
Edmonton finds itself as +105 underdogs on the Moneyline for Thursday’s tilt versus Nashville.
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