- JALGAIRE — Following his departure from Saturday’s season finale due to a leg injury, Connor McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers feel they have received some positive news.
“The X-rays showed nothing. Coach Ken Hitchcock of the Oilers stated, “Take him back home and have him get an MRI tomorrow to see if anything has changed.” “Your heart is broken for the guy, and you’re alternating between rage and anger. We can now relax for a few hours in order to receive some positive news right now. We’re not out of the woods yet, but hopefully we’ll make it through the MRI since it tells you everything.”
McDavid sustained an injury early in the second half. As McDavid darted down the wing to cut past defenceman Mark Giordano, he was knocked out from under him. With his left leg bearing the brunt of the impact, the Oilers captain slid hard into the goal post.
Before being helped off the ice by teammate Zack Kassian and a trainer, without putting any weight on his left leg, the sold-out Scotiabank Saddledome fell silent.
It is, in my opinion, the respect factor. They are aware of the type of player he is. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, a forward for Edmonton, described him as an honest player. “Everyone in the league, including the fans, respects that and recognizes the value he brings to our team. If it happened to another player on their team in our building, I’d anticipate the same reaction from our supporters. I believe that everyone was a little taken aback and was wishing him the best.”
McDavid trails Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov by 12 points in the NHL scoring race. With 41 goals, McDavid tied his career high, and his 116 points marked a career high.
Defenseman Darnell Nurse of the Oilers described it as “scary.” “In the league, he is the best player. He never goes down and stays down, as you can see when you watch him fall that way. Every time, he gets back up. The man is extremely important to the group, the city, and this team. Everyone there, I believe, kind of held their breath.”
Giordano’s trip on the play resulted in a penalty.
“That player is the finest in the game. The captain of the Flames said, “I hope he’s okay. It’s a one-on-one, but I’ll reach out to him and hopefully get a response. In an attempt to chip the puck off his stick, I’m diving. It was over so quickly.”
“Obviously with the result being what it is, if I had to do it all over again, you’d almost want to see myself let him go and not injure him, but that’s easy to say, after the fact.”
The Oilers (35-38-9) got goals from Nurse and Leon Draisaitl, who scored his 50th goal of the year, earlier this week. The Oilers were eliminated from the postseason for the 12th time in 13 years.
Since Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri both accomplished it in 1986–87, Draisaitl is the first Oiler to score 50 goals.
The Flames (50-25-7) had a goal from Mark Jankowski. They are the top seed in the Western Conference going into the playoffs.
In the opening round, Calgary will play the Colorado Avalanche. For the first time since 2006, the Flames will start on home ice.
Following McDavid’s injury, Mike Smith stopped Oscar Klefbom’s point shot, but Chiasson poked a loose puck past him to give Edmonton a 2-1 lead on the power play.
Oilers’ goalie Mikko Koskinen covered thirty miles. Smith stopped 22 shots.
“This is where the fun really gets to begin. “We’re excited to start the playoffs and get things going,” stated Johnny Gaudreau, who finished with 99 points and an assist.
With one point to spare, Gaudreau can become the first Flame to score 100 points in a season since Theoren Fleury in 1992–1993.
