Oilers confirm injury to Connor McDavid after dirty play from Winnipeg Jets defenceman

McDavid seemed to get hurt while trying to leap past Josh Morrissey, but the Jets defenceman delivered a cross check to the side of the Oilers captain. It was a sneaky play that went uncalled for a penalty, and seemed to catch McDavid in a bad spot.

Connor McDavid immediately slowed down and winced while moving back toward the bench, which Oilers insider Bob Stauffer noted as a concerning reaction.

The Oilers officially announced that McDavid will not be returning to tonight's game, confirming that the captain sustained a significant enough lower body injury to hold him out tonight.

Oilers lose both McDavid and Draisaitl to injury weeks before playoffs

Losing both McDavid and Draisaitl to injury just a few weeks before the playoffs is the worst case scenario for the Oilers.

Edmonton needs both superstars as close to fully healthy as possible before the spring, and this isn't encouraging.

McDavid is having a rare down scoring season this year, with 89 points in 62 games. It's still great point totals, but noticeably less than his last few seasons breezing past 120 points with ease.

Now, Edmonton may be managing both the Oilers stars ice time down the stretch of the season. Hopefully, they can both get fully healthy before spring.

Source for Connor McDavid stats: Connor McDavid - HockeyDB