Edmonton Oilers faithful got some scary news yesterday that Connor McDavid wasn't at practice due to a lower-body injury. It has been noted that it is a minor injury and that it will be short-term, but as the Oilers look to get in a grove before playoffs it would be nice to have the team captain on the ice.
Connor McDavid was absent from practice for the second straight day & could miss Wednesday's matchup with Vegas at @RogersPlace with a lower-body injury. https://t.co/jUXYUpg43v
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) April 9, 2024
Even though it sucks not to see McDavid on a night-to-night basis I would rather have him 100% on the playoff run. The one thing that will come out of this injury is getting players lower in the lineup a chance to get more ice time. Someone is going to have to replace McDavid's over 21 minutes on ice.
To fill in McDavid's roster spot the Oilers have called up Dylan Holloway from the Bakersfield Condors. In Holloway's 32 games earlier in the season he had only 3 goals and 1 assist, but in his time since then, he has been in the AHL where he has faired much better. In 18 games with the Condors, he has 10 goals and 6 assists. Hopefully, he can bring some of his AHL swagger to the NHL level.
Oilers Take On Golden Knights
Even though the Oilers will be without Connor McDavid this game is still important for the Pacific Division race. Not so much for the Oilers as while there is still a chance for them to move from their spot, it is unlikely. The Knights on the other hand are in a fight with the Los Angeles Kings for 3rd in the Pacific.
The Kings currently have 93 points with 4 games remaining, while the Golden Knights have 92 points with 5 games remaining. The Kings' loss to the Anaheim Ducks has opened the window for the Knights to take over that 3rd spot. Now it depends on who each one of these teams wants to face in the first round as to where they would like to finish.
The team that finishes in 3rd spot will likely be facing the Oilers. As we know the Oilers are a good team and have been the best in the NHL since hiring Knoblauch. The other team will be facing the red-hot Dallas Stars, who are 9-1 in their last 10 games. I don't see either of these teams making it out of the first round, but maybe one team prefers an opponent.
The game tonight should bring opertunitues for some players to show what they are made of before playoff time. With the absence of McDavid I would also expect to see Draisaitl's game to take a jump as he seems to play better when he needs to. I look forward to see how this Oilers team looks without McDavid in a game the Golden Knights are really going to want to win.