Oilers awaiting update after McDavid misses OT in loss to Jets
The Oilers are awaiting an update on Connor McDavid after their captain remained on the bench for all of overtime during Edmonton's 3-2 defeat to the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night.
"I didn't walk back in (the locker room) yet, but I'm sure we'll have something (Sunday)," head coach Jay Woodcroft told reporters postgame, per NHL.com's Derek Van Diest. "It didn't appear to be anything, it appeared to be muscular more than anything to me as I watched during the play. We'll see."
McDavid finished the contest with one shot on goal in 20:48 minutes of ice time. He was taken down by Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey in the first period, but Woodcroft didn't believe McDavid was shaken up on that play.
"I thought it was more him coming up the ice (in the third period) and something felt off for him," he said. "That's what it looked like from the bench. But I haven't even rewatched it yet."
McDavid took his last shift in the dying minutes of the final frame:
this was connor mcdavid's final shift in the 3rd period. he reached for this left hip/side/back as he entered the offensive zone and did so again as he left the ice. pic.twitter.com/e5XEWojaM0
- zach (@zjlaing) October 22, 2023
Without the Oilers' best player on the ice, Winnipeg forward Mark Scheifele tipped home the game-winner with over one minute remaining in overtime, leaving Edmonton with just one victory in its first five games of the season.
"Just too up and down, not consistent enough right now," a frustrated Leon Draisaitl said. "It feels like every mistake we make just ends up in the back of our net. Lots of things to fix."
The Oilers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening frame thanks to goals from defensemen Darnell Nurse and Evan Bouchard. However, Morrissey made it a one-goal game before the first intermission and forward Vladislav Namestnikov netted the equalizer in the second period.
Woodcroft shook up his forward lines prior to the contest, shifting winger Evander Kane down to the third line alongside Ryan McLeod and Connor Brown.
Kane ended up logging just 14:04 minutes of ice time during the loss - his lowest total since joining the Oilers. The veteran, who dropped the gloves with Jets rearguard Brenden Dillon in the middle stanza, was none too pleased about his limited playing time.
"I didn't play much in the first period, so I thought, 'Might as well get into a fight and take seven or eight minutes in the box,'" Kane said during a second-intermission interview, per Nation Network Media.
Kane has logged just one assist in five games this campaign.
The Oilers' next chance to get back into the win column will come Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild.
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