UPDATE: Oilers To Be Without Connor McDavid For A Time
It's not been a great start to the 2023-24 season for the Edmonton Oilers. But things may just have gotten a whole lot worse, after Connor McDavid was forced to leave Saturday night's game with obvious pain in his left side, with 4:20 left in the 3rd period.
Here was McDavid’s last shift. I know @jedrock43 can read lips. Did McDavid say “tore something” to TD Forss? pic.twitter.com/5tFXopNkBf
— Jason Gregor (@JasonGregor) October 22, 2023
The Oilers have now announced that he will be out for "one-to-two weeks" with an upper-body injury.
The Oilers were supposed to be a serious Stanley Cup contender this year, but after an 8-1 blowout loss to the Vancouver Canucks on opening night, and a 1-3-1 record after five games, there are plenty more questions than answers right now around Edmonton.
The last time they were forced to play any stretch of time without the game's greatest player, was back in February of the 2019-20 season. Leon Draisaitl led the way over that six-game stretch, with 12 points, while the team went 3-2-1 in McDavid's absence. They were outscored 12-10 at 5x5, but their penalty kill was a perfect 18-for-18, while the power play connected at a 23.5% rate in 17 chances. The latter isn't terrible, but it's not the insanely elite 32% the Oilers connected on last season.
As Gregor notes, "Life without McDavid (however long it might be) won’t be easy, but losing McDavid isn’t an excuse for this team to fail. They have enough talent remaining to be competitive and win some games.
Photo: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports
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