McDavid injured in loss, will leave Oilers’ trip

Connor McDavid is returning to Edmonton to be evaluated for a lower-body injury, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said on Monday night.

McDavid left Monday’s 6-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets after getting injured just 37 seconds in, during his first shift. The Oilers captain was tripped up by Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski while crossing the blue line and crashed awkwardly into the boards. McDavid left the ice on his own and did not return.

The Oilers have two more games on the road trip: Thursday against the Nashville Predators, and Sunday at the Calgary Flames. McDavid will undergo testing on Tuesday, and the team is expected to provide an update after that.

McDavid, the reigning Conn Smythe winner as Stanley Cup playoffs MVP, has 10 points so far, including three goals. He is tied for first in points with Leon Draisaitl on the Oilers, who fell to 4-5-1 on the season Monday.

McDavid, clearly, was missed. Mikael Pyyhtia scored his first NHL goal, Sean Monahan added two goals of his own, and Cole Sillinger had three points in the Columbus victory. Elvis Merzlikins carried a shutout through 19:33 of the third period before giving up a late goal, but he stopped 31 shots as the Blue Jackets continued their trend of winning every other game on the season.

Mattias Ekholm scored and Stuart Skinner stopped 19 shots for the Oilers, who saw a two-game win streak end.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.