Oilers’ Connor McDavid won’t play Saturday vs. Canucks

Credit: Apr 1, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) looks on against the St. Louis Blues during the first period at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-USA TODAY Sports

Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch says captain Connor McDavid will not play Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks.

EDM coach Kris Knoblauch says Connor McDavid will not play tonight vs VCR

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) April 13, 2024

McDavid has 31 goals and 99 assists for 130 points in 74 games. The 27-year-old is attempting to be the fourth player in NHL history to record 100 assists in a single season (the other three are Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr).

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov has 98 assists and will play Saturday afternoon against the Washington Capitals.

Through nine NHL seasons, McDavid has 334 goals and 646 assists for 980 points.

This will be the third consecutive game McDavid has missed, his last appearance coming April 6 when the Oilers defeated the Calgary Flames 4-2. In the two games he’s missed, Edmonton beat the Vegas Golden Knights 5-1, then lost 3-2 in overtime to the Arizona Coyotes.

The Oilers are 48-24-6 with 102 points, No. 2 in the Pacific Division behind the Canucks. After Saturday’s game, Edmonton has three games remaining: Monday at home against the San Jose Sharks, Wednesday in Arizona against the Coyotes, and on the road to close out the 2023-24 regular season against the Colorado Avalanche.