EDMONTON -- Connor McDavid's teammates with the Edmonton Oilers said he "got faster over the break," as evidenced by a goal the forward scored during a scrimmage Sunday.
In the first of the two-period scrimmage, the Oilers captain took a pass from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins at center ice, skated past an opposing defenseman, and flipped the puck over goalie Mikko Koskinen.
"We were saying on the bench, it looks like he got faster over the break," forward Tyler Ennis said. "He's flying. He's been playing great."
The Oilers (37-25-9, .585 points percentage) enter the Stanley Cup Qualifiers as the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference. They will play the 12th-seeded Chicago Blackhawks (32-30-8; .514) in one of eight best-of-5 series, with the winner advancing to the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the loser having a chance at the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft in the Second Phase of the NHL Draft Lottery on Aug. 10.
Game 1 of the Oilers-Blackhawks series will be at Rogers Place on Aug. 1. Edmonton is the hub city for the 12 Western Conference teams.
"Connor, there is a reason why he's the best player in the world," Oilers forward Riley Sheahan said. "It almost looked like he gained a step this whole time. He's amazing and he's fun to watch out there. He's looking sharp out there."
McDavid scored 97 points (34 goals and 63 assists) in 64 games -- second in the NHL to teammate Leon Draisaitl, who had 110 points (43 goals, 67 assists) in 71 games -- before the NHL paused the season March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.
"I think the break was probably good for him," Edmonton coach Dave Tippett said. "He's come back, he looks fresh. Before the break, he was battling some illness. Now, he looks fresh, he looks motivated and ready to go. I'm fortunate our leadership crew have come back and their mindset is very good. They want to make sure they are ready to play, and Connor has come back and is leading the way."
McDavid injured his knee April 6, 2019, in the 2018-19 season finale at the Calgary Flames. He was back in time for the 2019-20 season opener Oct. 2.
"I feel pretty good now," McDavid said Monday on the opening day of camp for the Qualifiers. "Coming back to training camp in September, I hadn't been on the ice a ton, I hadn't been able to work out a ton, so this break allowed me to get my body back into the shape where it needs to be, and I feel good now."
McDavid returned home to Toronto during the pause and continued to work on his conditioning. He was also a member of the NHL Return to Play Committee.
"I don't think he's missed a step," Oilers forward Josh Archibald said. "He's stayed on top of things obviously. He's been really good."
