As expected, fans of the Edmonton Oilers felt a bit of a scare on Monday as news rolled in that superstar center Connor McDavid was not on the ice for the team’s morning skate. With COVID cases on the rise around the NHL and the Oilers having been hit with a number of injuries of late, the immediate assumption was that something might be wrong with the captain and leading point-getter in the NHL.
The good news is, McDavid was simply given a rest, according to head coach Dave Tippett in what was being called a maintenance break.
Tippett spoke with the media, who were obviously curious as to why McDavid wasn’t out there. Tippett noted his captain was “just resting, saving his energy. He will be in tonight.” And, with that news, Oilers’ fans can breathe a little easier. Of course, there will still be some who ask why McDavid didn’t just go for a leisurely skate with the team, many of whom will now be watching him closely to see if he looks off. That said, the fact he won’t miss any game action is good news and the hope is that all this is was a chance to catch a breather after a number of games in a row where McDavid was on the ice a lot.
On New Year’s Eve versus the New Jersey Devils, McDavid played 27:57. The next day, he logged another 22:01 versus the New York Islanders. Two overtime contests on the road where the Oilers played him a lot. It’s fair to suggest McDavid was tired and deserved a chance to relax.
McDavid leads the NHL in points with 53. Unfortunately, the Oilers have gone through a bit of a slide of late, losing eight of their last 10 games. Edmonton will face the New York Rangers who are without Artemi Panarin and the Oilers are hoping to get back to their winning ways.
As of this writing, there is no word on the status of goaltender Mike Smith, who has been listed as day-to-day. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (undisclosed) is day-to-day; Zack Kassian (COVID-19 Protocol) is day-to-day; Markus Niemelainen (hand) is on IR; Kris Russell (upper body) is on IR.
Maple Leafs Not So Lucky
Toronto has a star player who isn’t as lucky as McDavid seems to be when it comes to missing time. Auston Matthews just tested positive of COVID and will miss a handful of games as a result.
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