Connor McDavid is a game time decision for the Oilers elimination game tonight
Photo credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Connor McDavid was not on the ice for practice and is a game-time decision against Anaheim in a must-win game on Tuesday, with Edmonton's season hanging by a thread.
Tuesday night comes with a lot of anxiety for the Edmonton Oilers and their fans. Not only are they staring elimination in the face courtesy of the Anaheim Ducks, but have to contend with a potentially hurt Connor McDavid.
He was seen hurt during Game Four, and wasn't exactly the speedy and game-changing centre we've come to expect and Edmonton had to concede their captain wasn't at 100% after suffering an apparent ankle injury during Game Two.
McDavid was noticeably limited in Game 4 and the Oilers kept his injury quiet until now
It's getting worse now given that McDavid didn't show up to practice and now his status for the elimination game is up in the air:
According to sources, McDavid is going to be a game-time decision which does not bode well for an Oilers team who desperately needs their captain to not only be healthy, but be as explosive as he can be.
McDavid, 29, has four points in four games this postseason but is coming off a staggering 138-point season and improved his playoff totals to 154 points in 100 playoff games.
If he is indeed hurt, you can't blame the Oilers for staying silent until they couldn't, as they didn't want to risk him being targeted, nor did they want to set any expectations for better or worse. It's going to be really tough to keep the world's best player under wraps, especially with so much focus on his future with the team.
The Oilers cannot beat Anaheim without McDavid and even with him this series has been a disaster
But let's be honest with ourselves, even with McDavid — the Oilers have been bad.
So far through four games they've given up 20 goals; so you're averaging five goals against. Right there is a huge issue but it's also the fact that your regular lineup staples aren't contributing whatsoever:
- Zach Hyman (1 goal, minus-5)
- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (3 points, minus-2)
- Curtis Lazar (0 points, minus-2)
- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (3 points, minus-2)
- Curtis Lazar (0 points, minus-2)
Their goaltending has been even worse too:
Though it probably wouldn't get any better considering that Stuart Skinner is also failing in Pittsburgh in the playoffs; you can really point to Edmonton's lack of goaltending and defensive help as probably the biggest factor in being down 3-1.
Edmonton is getting torched by guys like Mikael Granlund, Alex Killorn, and Ryan Poehling; and McDavid is being outscored by youngsters like Jackson Lacombe; Anaheim has just been flat out the better team.
Right now the Oilers need their captain in the lineup, and given that it's an elimination game it's very likely he slots in.
But whether he's healthy enough to make an impact is a whole different story and it could be a quick end to McDavid's season — and maybe a quicker exit out of the city than we first thought.
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