EDMONTON -- Connor McDavid is expected to be out 1-2 weeks for the Edmonton Oilers after sustaining an upper-body injury in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets at Rogers Place on Saturday.
Edmonton plays at the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday (9 p.m. ET; BSWI, BSN, SNW) and returns home to host the New York Rangers on Thursday.
The Oilers captain could miss the 2023 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic outdoor game against the Calgary Flames on Oct. 29 at Commonwealth Stadium (7 p.m. ET; SN, TVAS, TBS, Max).
“It didn’t appear to be anything, it appeared to be muscular more than anything to me as I watched during the play,” Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft said after the game Saturday.
McDavid appeared to sustain the injury skating up the ice jumping into a rush led by forward Zach Hyman at 15:13 of the third period. The forward grabbed his left side after crossing the Winnipeg blue line. He continued the shift but headed to the bench after clearing the puck from his own end with 4:20 left in the period.
McDavid sat on the bench for the remainder of the period and talked to Oilers head athletic therapist TD Forss. McDavid went for a short skate prior to the beginning of the 3-on-3 overtime but did not go out for a shift. Mark Scheifele scored for the Jets at 3:53 of overtime, tipping in a pass from defenseman Josh Morrissey.
“I think we noticed, that’s probably the understatement of the century,” Morrissey said when asked about McDavid’s absence in overtime. “I don’t know what’s going on there, but 3-on-3 overtime you’re looking for him, so we did notice, yeah.”
McDavid had two assists in the loss. He has eight points (two goals, six assists) in five games for Edmonton (1-3-1). McDavid has won the Art Ross Trophy as NHL scoring champion three straight seasons and five times total.
In the first period against Winnipeg, McDavid was taken down by Morrissey during a race up the ice towards the Jets end. Morrissey was assessed a two-minute minor for holding on the play, but Woodcroft did not think the play contributed to the injury.
“No, I thought it was more him coming up the ice [in third period] and something felt off for him,” Woodcroft said Saturday. “That’s what it looked like from the bench. But I haven’t even rewatched it yet.”
