McDavid game-time decision for Oilers against Golden Knights

EDMONTON -- Connor McDavid has a lower-body injury and will be a game-time decision for the Edmonton Oilers when they host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday (8:30 p.m. ET; TNT, MAX, TVAS, SN1, SNE, SNO, SNW, SCRIPPS).

“I just have to check with T.D. (Forss), our athletic therapist, and we’ll make that decision,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said after the morning skate. “He was on the ice this morning. So, right now, we don’t have confirmation on if he is or is not playing.

“I think Connor knows what the big picture is. I believe that he is competitive and wants to contribute as much as possible and not take himself out of the lineup, but I think he understands where our team is at, and obviously where his body’s at, and what we are looking for in the future. And I think T.D. and him have a good relationship, good conversation, and we’ll make that decision right away.”

The center missed practice for the second straight day Tuesday after he had two assists in a 4-2 win at the Calgary Flames on Saturday. McDavid’s last shift of the game lasted 33 seconds, concluding at 17:19 of the third period. He went to the bench after taken down by Flames forward Blake Coleman while driving to the net.

The Oilers (47-24-5) are second in the Pacific Division, five points behind the first-place Vancouver Canucks and six points ahead of the third-place Los Angeles Kings. The Golden Knights can clinch a Stanley Cup Playoff berth Wednesday; they hold the second wild card in the West, one point behind the Kings.

McDavid is third in the race for the Art Ross Trophy, which goes to the player with the most points in the regular season. He has 130 points (31 goals, 99 assists), trailing Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, who has 133 points (48 goals, 85 assists) and Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who has 136 points (43 goals, 93 assists). McDavid has 24 points (six goals, 18 assists) in his past 11 games.

Edmonton recalled forward Dylan Holloway from Bakersfield of the American Hockey League on Tuesday. Holloway has four points (three goals, one assist) in 32 NHL games this season.

“The most important thing is playoffs and that we are ready,” Knoblauch said Tuesday. “I think we’ve got depth. Obviously you’re not going to replace Connor, but we do have other healthy bodies when we’re short a man. We want to make sure we’re as healthy as possible going into playoffs.”

McDavid missed two games after sustaining an upper-body injury during a 3-2 overtime loss against the Winnipeg Jets on Oct. 21. He returned to play against the Flames in the 2023 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic Oct. 29, when he had an assist in a 5-2 win at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.

“I think Connor probably has the most influence on what happens and T.D. would know how he can handle it or the risk of making it worse or playing through it and deciding between those two,” Knoblauch said. “I guess I’m the one who ultimately makes the decision whether he goes in the lineup. I’ll be getting that information mostly from those two important guys.”