{"id":195152,"date":"2026-02-26T18:10:53","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T18:10:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/195152\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T18:10:53","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T18:10:53","slug":"oilers-captain-connor-mcdavid-looks-good-to-go-tonight-in-anaheim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/195152\/","title":{"rendered":"Oilers captain Connor McDavid looks good to go tonight in Anaheim"},"content":{"rendered":"

Looks like Connor McDavid<\/a> won\u2019t miss a shift.<\/p>\n

Despite speculation that the Oilers captain would miss a game or two of Edmonton\u2019s three-game California road trip while he recovers from the Olympic experience, McDavid was right back at it Wednesday in Anaheim.<\/p>\n

McDavid, who arrived in California Tuesday evening, centered the top line at the morning skate Wednesday, skating with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman on the wings and said he\u2019s ready to get back into the heat of the NHL action, starting tonight.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe looked pretty ready,\u201d grinned head coach Kris Knoblauch, adding he\u2019ll make a point to keep McDavid\u2019s ice time in check. \u201cPlaying back-to-back after the Olympic break we\u2019d like to limit (his ice time), so we\u2019ll need our other lines to step up and play a significant role. It\u2019s very important that those guys \u2014 Draisaitl and, more importantly, McDavid, because he was the last one to play \u2014 that their minutes aren\u2019t that high.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an ideal world, getting McDavid a couple more days off would be nice, but the stakes are incredibly high right now and the next three games, all of them four-pointers against teams that are breathing down Edmonton\u2019s neck, could have a massive impact on the final standings. The Oilers visit Anaheim tonight, Los Angeles Thursday and San Jose Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a very important game for the standings, battling for position against Anaheim,\u201d said Knoblauch. \u201cIt\u2019s really important for us and it\u2019s nice knowing that Connor is coming back and feeling well.\u201d<\/p>\n

McDavid freely admits it will be tough generating the same kind of adrenaline and excitement for a regular season road game that he just had in the Olympic gold medal game, but he says he\u2019ll do his best to push through and get to his best.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is going to be a letdown, there is no doubt about it,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s my job to limit that, though. I have to find a way to get going here. These are important games for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fellow Olympian Leon Draisaitl skated with newly-recalled winger Matt Savoie and Jack Roslovic.<\/p>\n

Other lineup changes include Adam Henrique returning after missing 15 games with a hand injury, which might help the struggling penalty kill, and Kasperi Kapanen sitting out for two or three games after being injured in practice.<\/p>\n

Struggling wingers Trent Frederic and Andrew Mangiapane also look like they\u2019ll be in the mix tonight. They were on the third and fourth lines, respectively.<\/p>\n

Tristan Jarry gets the start in goal.<\/p>\n

More to come<\/p>\n

E-mail:\u00a0rtychkowski@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n

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