It’s looking good for Connor McDavid to return to the Edmonton Oilers lineup for Sunday’s Heritage Classic against the Calgary Flames at Commonwealth Stadium.
“Yeah, it’s feeling good. Making a lot of progress. Felt really good today in practice. A lot of really good signs,” McDavid said about the upper body injury that has kept him out of the last two games.
“I thought today was a good day. It was a good step. We’ll see how he is when he wakes up in the morning,” said head coach Jay Woodcroft.
McDavid was a full participant in Saturday’s practice at Commonwealth, skating on a line with Leon Draisaitl and Warren Foegele, who has been the Oilers’ most consistent forward this season.
“I think tenacity, a lot of energy. (Foegele’s) a bit of a bull,” said Draisaitl. “He does things the right way and he does it hard. There’s lots to like about his game. He’s maybe the only guy on our team that’s off to a pretty good start.”
The Oilers and Flames are both struggling coming into the game. The Oilers are 1-5-1 while the Flames are 2-5-1.
“It’s a different look than a normal game, but at the same time, our mindset is we’re going out here to win a game,” said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
Stuart Skinner is expected to start in goal for the Oilers.
Tune into the Face-off Show on 630 CHED to stay updated with the Heritage Classic. The show starts at 3 p.m. and the puck drop will be at 5 p.m.