After missing the last three games with a lower-body injury, Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid will be back in the lineup Monday night.
“Everything’s been feeling good and I’ll play tonight,” McDavid said.
“It’s a balance of everything – balance of health, balance of making sure you’re ready to go, making sure your game is where it needs to be. Going 20-plus days between games is not really an option for me.”
Monday’s game sees the Oilers face off against the San Jose Sharks in Edmonton for their last home game of the regular season. The game starts at 7:30 p.m.
Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said the team took a very cautious approach to McDavid’s injury.
“We didn’t want it to persist or get worse or just be a nagging thing that he had to play through. We feel – and when I say we it’s our doctors, our training staff – feel that he’s recovered and he’s good,” Knoblauch said.
McDavid was on the ice Monday morning for a pre-game skate, on a line with Zach Hyman and Adam Henrique.
Henrique called it an exciting opportunity to play on the wing with McDavid.
“Watching his game from up close being here has been pretty eye-opening. So to get an opportunity to play with him is pretty cool.”
Knoblauch said whether or not McDavid plays in all three of the remaining regular-season games has yet to be determined. It’ll depend on whether the Oilers still have a chance to finish first in the Pacific Division.
The Oilers still have a mathematical chance to catch the first-place Vancouver Canucks, who are five points ahead of Edmonton, though it’s unlikely.
Knoblauch said Evander Kane will not play on Monday night for maintenance reasons.