Oilers Keeping Close Eye on Connor McDavid Situation

Something has been off with Connor McDavid, who not only didn’t score again in Game 2, but played what might have been one of his worst games of the season. Constantly fighting the puck, guilty of turnovers and trying to do too much, his giveaway on the shorthanded goal against was the most egregious error. As often happens when McDavid has an off night, analysts and fans will suggest he’s got some kind of injury. It’s sometimes an excuse. This time around, it might not be.

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Following Wednesday’s Game 2 loss, head coach Kris Knoblauch said, “I haven’t got any updates, so I’m not sure. We’re hoping everything is fine, but ya, I can’t comment on that.”

It was McDavid’s second straight game without a point for this team—and maybe more concerning, on a zone entry in the middle of the game, he appeared to tweak something in a collision with Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm. There were no updates after he left the ice surface and returned to finish. At first glance, he appears to be uninjured and was merely having another off night. However, analysts, including TSN’s Ryan Rishaug, raised the potential for an issue.

Rishaug was asked about McDavid’s status and said, “Well, we’re certainly keeping an eye on it postgame to see if there are any signs this is going to be an issue moving forward. But McDavid came out and did his regular media availability, which often, if players have tweaked something or are hurt, they might not do. He didn’t appear to be limping at all.”

McDavid Seems Off

There were suggestions on the Sportsnet panel that McDavid’s collision with Ekholm might have played a mental toll on this superstar more than a physical one. A scare like that would make a typical player tentative. But this is not the McDavid way. He’s suffered long-term injuries and returns as though nothing ever happened. He’s fearless.

Rishaug wondered if the apprehension on McDavid might have been injury-related. “I think in-game, what we saw was that he left the bench, and when he came back, he was a little bit tentative for a couple of shifts. This clearly was bothersome to him—he really stumbled his way off the ice and ended up leaving for a little bit. He was certainly tentative in his first few shifts. This turnover on the power play was one of those more tentative moments.”

The question the Oilers need an answer to is, will he be alright?

“He really did seem to get it back as the game went on, and you saw him hit top speed a little bit more often, ” said Rishaug. “But to your point, it’s another quiet night from McDavid. We’re seeing, uncharacteristically, lots of turnovers—power-play entries where the puck’s getting turned over, plays where he hits the blue line and it’s just not quite working out.”

McDavid Tends to Rebound in Big Way

McDavid hasn’t always been perfect. “There are stretches during the season that he hasn’t been the best player, you know, there are nights that he hasn’t been outstanding. It doesn’t happen very often. I’m certain he’s going to find his game,” said Knoblauch.

Rishaug agreed. “He certainly hasn’t been himself these first couple of games, but generally that doesn’t last too long. The only question is: how healthy is he going to be moving forward?”

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