EDMONTON, Alberta — The Edmonton Oilers face uncertainty about their star captain Connor McDavid’s availability as they prepare for a critical Tuesday night matchup against the Anaheim Ducks in Game 5 of their opening playoff round.
The NHL’s leading scorer this season was absent from Tuesday morning’s practice session before what becomes a do-or-die contest for Edmonton.
Edmonton finds itself in a challenging position, needing to overcome a 3-1 series disadvantage in the best-of-seven format to keep their season alive. The franchise made consecutive Stanley Cup final appearances over the past two years, ultimately falling to the back-to-back champion Florida Panthers.
Head coach Kris Knoblauch indicated that both McDavid and forward Jason Dickinson’s participation would be determined closer to game time, while confirming Connor Ingram will handle goaltending duties.
The 29-year-old superstar has appeared to struggle with mobility issues following an ankle injury sustained during Game 2’s second period after a collision with teammate Mattias Ekholm.
Despite the injury concerns, McDavid, who topped the league with 138 points this season, found the net for his initial goal in Game 3 and recorded multiple-point performances in both the third and fourth contests played in Anaheim. He also missed Saturday’s optional practice session while in Anaheim.
On Tuesday, McDavid received recognition as a nominee for the Ted Lindsay Award alongside San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini and Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov. This honor recognizes the league’s top performer as chosen by fellow NHL players, with McDavid having claimed the award four times previously.
Ingram will return between the pipes for Edmonton after Tristan Jarry recorded 34 stops in Game 4’s 4-3 overtime defeat. Ingram handled the first three games of the series, capturing a 4-3 victory in the opener before surrendering 11 goals across two straight losses behind Edmonton’s struggling defensive play.
“Nothing against Jarry,” Knoblauch said. “I thought he had a solid game the other night, but going down this last few weeks or months, Ingram’s been our starter. He’s been our guy. Now that our season’s on the line, we felt that we would go with our guy.”
Dickinson missed the second and third contests due to injury after scoring twice in Edmonton’s series-opening victory and contributing an assist on the Oilers’ initial goal in the Game 4 setback.
