McDavid misses win vs. Golden Knights with lower-body injury

Oilers superstar Connor McDavid was out of the lineup for Edmonton's 5-1 victory against the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday because of a lower-body injury.

Head coach Kris Knoblauch announced Tuesday that the captain was considered day-to-day with the ailment. McDavid was labeled a game-time decision for the Oilers' clash against their Pacific Division rivals.

Knoblauch said postgame that he is optimistic McDavid can play Friday against the Arizona Coyotes, but mentioned he'll have to be cautious since the Oilers also play on Saturday, per The Athletic's Daniel Nugent-Bowman.

McDavid appeared to suffer the injury during Edmonton's 4-2 victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday. His final shift of the outing occurred late in the third period.

"He played up until five minutes left of the game and felt some discomfort," Knoblauch explained Tuesday. "We didn't want to make it worse, and we held him back."

McDavid missed two games earlier this season with an upper-body injury.

The 27-year-old is one assist away from 100 on the season with five more games remaining after Wednesday's matchup. McDavid is also in the running for his sixth career Art Ross Trophy with 130 points on the campaign.

The 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs will kick off in 10 days.

"I think Connor knows what the big picture is," Knoblauch said Wednesday, per NHL.com's Derek Van Diest.

"I believe that he is competitive and wants to contribute as much as possible and not take himself out of the lineup, but I think he understands where our team is at, and obviously where his body's at, and what we are looking for in the future."

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