Win or lose, the Edmonton Oilers will have their best player on the ice when they face elimination in Game 6 of the Western Conference First Round against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on Thursday.
Connor McDavid suffered an ankle injury after colliding with teammate Mattias Ekholm in Game 2. He was listed as a game-time decision ahead of Game 5 on Tuesday, but he played and registered two assists in a 4-1 victory. Head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed that McDavid will be in the lineup again in Anaheim.
McDavid Never in Doubt for Elimination Game
Despite the injury designation, the Oilers captain was never in real danger of sitting out, especially with his team facing elimination. Knoblauch clarified the situation: “I think with the game-time decision, I was asked the other day about (Jason) Dickinson and Connor at the same time, ‘Are they game-time decisions?’ They’re both banged up.” This time, the coach provided separate answers. “Connor will be playing next game, Dickinson will be a game-time (decision),” Knoblauch said.
Adjustments to Lighten McDavid’s Load
Knoblauch acknowledged that the rest of the roster must step up to account for McDavid not being at full potential. He also made tactical adjustments, pairing McDavid with Leon Draisaitl on the top line. “Absolutely, it would take a little bit of pressure off him having Leon have the puck a little bit more rather than Connor always having to generate by himself,” Knoblauch said. “Obviously, he’s got some pretty good support there with Leon being able to make plays, but also (Kasperi) Kapanen. Kapanen’s been playing well too.”
The Nuclear Option
Having both superstars on the same line is known as the nuclear option. McDavid led the league with 138 points (48 goals, 90 assists) in the regular season, while Draisaitl had 97 points (35 goals, 62 assists). Knoblauch noted, “McDavid and Draisaitl have always been good (together). This year, they have not been outscoring (the opposition) like they usually have. Just a lot of it maybe luck, or things just not going their way. But there is definitely some chemistry, and going into an elimination game where we need to change our fate, we ultimately felt we were going to put the game in our two best players’ hands and let them dictate where this game is going to go.”
