EDMONTON – – Connor McDavidTeammates of the Edmonton Oilers said he “got faster over the break,” as a goal he scored during a scrimmage Sunday showed.
In the first of the two periods, the Oilers captain took a passport from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins In the middle he ran past an opposing defender and turned the puck over the goalkeeper Mikko Koskinen.
“We said on the bench that it looks like he got faster during the break,” said Oilers Tyler Ennis said. “He flies. He played great.”
Edmonton (37-25-9, 0.585 points percent) participates in the Stanley Cup qualification as number 5 of the Western Conference. They will play the twelfth Chicago Blackhawks (32-30-8; .514) in one of eight best-of-5 series, with the winner advancing into the playoffs and the loser having a chance of number 1 in the 2020 NHL Draft in the second phase of the NHL Draft Lottery on August 10th.
Game 1 of the Oilers Blackhawks series takes place on August 1 at Rogers Place. Edmonton is the hub for the 12 Western Conference teams.
“Connor, there is a reason why he is the best player in the world,” said Oilers Riley Sheahan said. “It almost looked like he had taken a step all the time. He’s incredible and it’s fun to watch out there. He looks sharp out there.”
McDavid had 97 points (34 goals and 63 assists) in 64 games – second in the NHL for teammates Leon draisaitl who had 110 points (43 goals, 67 assists) in 71 games – before the NHL break on March 12 due to concerns about the corona virus.
“I think the break was probably a good one for him,” said Oilers coach Dave Tippett. “He came back, he looks fresh. Before the break he was struggling with an illness. Now he looks fresh, he looks motivated and ready to go. I am happy that our management teams have returned and their attitude is very good They want to make sure they’re ready to play, and Connor has come back and is going ahead. “
McDavid injured his knee in the 2018/19 season finale at the Calgary Flames. He was back on time for the opening game of the 2019-20 season.
“I feel pretty good now,” said McDavid on Monday when the camp opened. “When I got back to the training camp in September, I hadn’t been a ton on the ice, I hadn’t been able to train a ton, so this break allowed me to get my body back into the shape it needs to be and now I feel me good.”
McDavid returned to Toronto during the break to continue working on his conditioning. He was also a member of the Return to Play committee of the NHL.
“I don’t think he missed a step,” said Oilers Josh Archibald said. “He obviously kept the overview. He was really good.”
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