Oilers’ Connor McDavid leaves game with suspected lower-body injury

Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid was forced to leave Thursday night’s game against the Winnipeg Jets after a suspected lower-body injury.

McDavid was chasing the puck toward the Jets’ zone when Josh Morrissey appeared to get him with a cross-check in the rib area.

McDavid was seen talking with Edmonton’s medical staff and was pulled out of the game before the start of the third period.

The loss of McDavid comes on the same day that Leon Draisaitl was forced to sit out due to an undisclosed injury.

McDavid registered his 90th point of the season earlier in the game, which was 2-2 after 40 minutes. McDavid snagged an assist on Jeff Skinners’ 13th of the year, a snapshot goal at 25:30.

McDavid, 28, has 361 goals ,711 assists and 1,072 points in 708 games over 10 seasons. He’s coming off a Conn Smythe in 2024, and won the Hart Trophy after leading the league in goals (64), assists (89) and points (153) in 2022-23.

Evander Kane, who has missed the entire season due to hip and knee injuries, skated with the team for the first time on Thursday. Other injuries include John Klingberg and Trent Frederic, both of whom were late-season additions by the club.

The Oilers entered the game with 84 points, sitting second in the Pacific Division behind the Vegas Golden Knights. Edmonton is in the midst of a three-game winning streak and a 6-4-0 record over the past 10 games. They sit just two points behind the Golden Knights, who have gone 5-3-2 over the past 10. Edmonton is the only team in the Pacific Division with 40 wins so far this season.

Edmonton is looking to go the distance after losing the Stanley Cup final to the Florida Panthers during the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.