McDavid feels Oilers will be 'ready to roll' in playoffs despite injuries

EDMONTON -- With the Edmonton Oilers dealing with injuries to several key players down the stretch of the regular season, captain Connor McDavid said it would be a mistake to discount his team's chances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

McDavid is confident most of the injured players will return for Game 1 of the Western Conference First Round against the Los Angeles Kings. The playoffs begin Saturday.

“I don’t like the theory that people are counting us out,” McDavid said Tuesday. “We’re a great team here. We’ve had bumps and bruises along the way here, but we’re a dangerous team when we’re rolling and we’re healthy. I think you’ll see that over the next little while and we’re looking forward to showing that.”

The Oilers (48-29-5) will finish third in the Pacific Division behind the Kings (48-24-9). After concluding its regular season with a 3-0 win against the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday, Edmonton will begin the playoffs at Los Angeles. It’s the fourth straight season the teams will face each other in the first round, with the Oilers winning the previous three series.

McDavid had an assist against the Sharks to reach 100 points for the eighth time in 10 NHL seasons -- and the fifth straight season -- and will be ready for Game 1.

The center missed eight games with a lower-body injury sustained in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets on March 20. He returned to play three games and had nine assists before sitting out Monday for precautionary reasons in the second game of a back-to-back and Edmonton’s third game in four days.

“I’ve felt, personally, night and day better from before the injury just in terms of rest,” McDavid said. “Not getting a break for the 4 Nations (Face-Off, in February), which I’m not complaining about at all, I feel night and day better since the injury.”

McDavid has 100 points (26 goals, 74 assists) in 67 games. He missed three games after sustaining an ankle injury at the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 28 and was suspended for three for cross-checking Vancouver Canucks forward Conor Garland on Jan. 18.

Forwards Leon Draisaitl (lower body), Zach Hyman (undisclosed) and Trent Frederic (ankle), and defensemen Mattias Ekholm (lower body), Jake Walman (undisclosed) and Troy Stecher (undisclosed) did not play against the Kings or Sharks. Draisaitl missed four games with an undisclosed injury from March 20-27, returned for three games and was injured again in a 3-2 win at San Jose on April 3. He missed his eighth straight game Wednesday.

Draisaitl leads the NHL with 52 goals and is tied with Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak for third with 106 points (54 assists) in 71 games.

“I feel Leon is going to feel the same way [as me],” McDavid said. “Everybody is going to feel the same way coming out of that, and we’ll be ready to roll.”

The Oilers will enter the playoffs looking to return to the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost 2-1 in Game 7 to the Florida Panthers last season. They’ve been fortunate to avoid too many injuries the past few seasons, but that luck seems to have run out.

Evander Kane has been out all season after the forward had surgery to repair a sports hernia and a knee injury, but he could be ready to rejoin the Oilers in the playoffs. Frederic was acquired from the Boston Bruins in a three-team trade also involving the New Jersey Devils on March 6. He made his Edmonton debut at Los Angeles on April 5 but was limited to 7:10 of ice time before reaggravating a high ankle sprain. The Oilers do not expect him to be available for Game 1 against the Kings.

Edmonton has not played with a full, healthy lineup since March 4.

“It’s been unique, kind of unprecedented for our group,” McDavid said. “We’ve had a great string of health for a long time, and I saw [coach Kris Knoblauch] allude to it, everything has hit us at once. It is true; guys are healthier than it may seem. I think guys have kind of this aura about us that we’re the walking wounded, but we’re just fine.

“Everybody is going to be ready to roll, everybody is doing whatever they can to be back.”

Ekholm is one player not expected back in the first round. He has been dealing with his injury since returning from the 4 Nations Face-Off. Ekholm had missed 13 of 17 games since March 4 before returning against San Jose on April 11, when he left after three shifts. He was ruled out of the first round by Knoblauch on Monday.

“I wish I could spin that one for you, but it’s obviously disappointing,” McDavid said. “There’s no way around that. Obviously, we’ll miss him for a little bit. But that being said, he’s going to do everything he can to get healthy whenever that may be. He’s a great player, does everything right, maybe the best all-around defenseman there is. He’s a big loss, obviously.

“… Would it have been nice to get some games with a full lineup? Sure, but that’s not the case we’re dealing with. But everybody is ready to roll, everyone is doing everything they can possible and not everything is as it seems.”