Oilers’ Connor McDavid downplays injury, but he also has no points in first two playoff games
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Connor McDavid downplayed getting banged up in Game 2 of the Edmonton Oilers’ first-round series against the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night.
McDavid’s lower right leg appeared to buckle when he collided early in the second period with teammate Mattias Ekholm, who was attempting to check Anaheim’s Ian Moore. McDavid left the bench briefly but returned not long after, testing his ankle in the process.
“I just rolled up on it a little bit,” McDavid said after the 4-2 loss that evened the series. “It’s fine.”
McDavid has not registered a point in either of the first two games. He also had a turnover after resuming play, when his weak backhand attempt was picked off by Alex Killorn on the way to a shorthanded goal for the Ducks.
“Just a little bit of a miscommunication,” McDavid said.
Game 3 is Friday night at Anaheim.
Coach Kris Knoblauch said McDavid is putting a lot of pressure on himself.
“He wants the team to do well,” Knoblauch said. “He’s a leader and usually when we have success, he’s a big part of that. There’ve been stretches during the season that he hasn’t been the best player, nights where he hasn’t been outstanding. That doesn’t happen very often, and I’m certain that he’s going to find his game.”
Edmonton’s power play, which led the NHL at 30.6% during the regular season, is 0 for 6 so far in the playoffs.
“We’ve got to find a way to score,” McDavid said, calling the power play still a work in progress. “We haven’t ran our normal routes and had our normal looks for some time. It’s not just a light switch, so we’re working at it.”
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