Oilers' McDavid misses win over Golden Knights, remains at 99 assists
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EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid missed Wednesday night's 5-1 win over against the Vegas Golden Knights as he continues to deal with a lower-body injury.
The Oilers made up for the loss of their captain with Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Ryan McLeod all enjoying two-point nights.
“When you’re missing the best player in the world, you don’t try to replace him,” forward Zach Hyman said. “Everyone as a group has to step up and play better and, collectively, I thought it was one of our better games of the season.
“Everyone was on the same page. It’s amazing when you’re connected how much faster you are as a team.”
McDavid did not take part in pregame warm-ups after missing the team’s morning skate and practice on Tuesday.
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said Tuesday that McDavid was day-to-day and absent from practice due to a combination of “lower body” and “maintenance” issues.
McDavid began the day third in the NHL in scoring with 130 points, including a league-high 99 assists.
The Oilers are now 20-24-9 without McDavid since he joined the league in 2015.
Edmonton remains second in the Pacific Division, four points back of first-place Vancouver with two fewer games played. The Oilers host the Canucks on Saturday.