The Edmonton Oilers will be without their best player, who left the early, did not return for the remainder of Monday’s game. Connor McDavid sustained a lower-body injury that caused him to miss the rest of the game.
McDavid Will Not Return
Connor McDavid (lower body) will not return for the #Oilers tonight.
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 28, 2024
McDavid was on the game-opening shift for the Oilers. Shortly after the opening faceoff, McDavid tripped in the offensive zone. The forward went to the bench and, eventually, the locker room. McDavid totaled just 37 seconds of ice time.
Based on the video of the injury, it is hard to tell if McDavid tripped or was tripped. A Columbus Blue Jacket player does extend their stick to play the puck. Whether or not the stick made contract with McDavid is hard to tell. Of course, passionate Oilers fans will certainly have their opinions on what happened. A video of the injury can be found below for you to judge for yourself.
Looks like this is where Connor McDavid got injured #letsgooilers @myNHLTradeRumor @FullPressNHL pic.twitter.com/zkvidugwrD
— Jim Biringer (@JimBiringer) October 28, 2024
It is also worth mentioning that if McDavid did trip, it could be due to poor-ice conditions. It will be interesting to see if anything emerges moving forward regarding ice conditions. Skaters typically do not trip when skating forward without some sort of interference. It does happen, but not often.
Oilers Need Their Star
At this time, there is no information available regarding any long-term consequences of the injury. However, the Oilers will certainly miss their star if he misses any time. McDavid has been the best player in hockey for quite some time now. Last spring, McDavid out the Oilers on his shoulders and helped propel the team to their first Stanley Cup Final since 2006. Furthermore, McDavid helped the team force a Game 7 despite being down 3-0 in the series.
Despite eventually losing the series, McDavid was given the rare honour of being named the Conn Smythe winner for the most valuable player of the playoffs as a member of the losing team.
Stay Tuned For Updates
We will do our best to provide updates as they become available. The next update from the Oilers will likely not come until the after the game or tomorrow. Until then, stay tuned.
Main Photo Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
