Oilers start to stretch without McDavid against Predators

The Edmonton Oilers are preparing to move on without their superstar for the time being.

Meanwhile, the Nashville Predators are hoping their early struggles are behind them.

With Connor McDavid injured, the visiting Oilers look to win in Nashville for the second time this month on Thursday evening.

Less than a minute into Edmonton’s Monday night game in Columbus, McDavid left after sliding hard against the boards with his left skate.

The Oilers went on to lose 6-1, ending a 2-0-1 streak, but the bigger loss came to McDavid. The star striker will miss the next two to three weeks due to an ankle injury, the team announced on Wednesday.

“It’s tough every time you play without your best player,” said Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch. “It’s clear that our team is going to look different.”

McDavid’s 10 points ties fellow standout Leon Draisaitl for the most on a team that has scored just 22 total goals while going 4-5-1 on the young season.

The Oilers will need others to step up in McDavid’s absence. After Draisaitl’s six goals, no other skater has scored more than three goals. Mattias Ekholm scored Edmonton’s lone goal late in Monday’s lopsided loss.

“(McDavid’s) our leader and also the best player in the game,” said forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has just four points on the season. “We have to do better to act when a man like that goes down.”

McDavid scored a goal and defenseman Brett Kulak recorded his only two goals so far this season in the Oilers’ 4-2 victory in Nashville on Oct. 17.

That marked the fourth loss during the Predators’ 0-5-0 start, in which they were outscored 23-10. Since then, Nashville is 3-0-1 and has outscored opponents 13-8.

The Predators erased a 2-0 deficit in Tampa Bay on Monday before losing 3-2 in overtime. Earning a point, however, kept Nashville confident in its early-season turnaround.

“I thought we were resilient,” Predators coach Andrew Brunette said. “I thought we did a good job just staying in the moment. … We wanted two (points) but got one.”

Steven Stamkos recorded a pair of assists in his return to Tampa Bay, where he spent the previous 16 seasons as the face of the Lightning franchise. Those were just the second and third points Stamkos recorded during a rough start to his tenure in Nashville.

“I mean, it takes time,” Stamkos said of moving to a new team and a new city after spending so long in one place for his career. “It’s definitely been an adjustment period.”

Stamkos shot four times on goal against Edmonton earlier this month, but Filip Forsberg and Jonathan Marchessault scored the Predators’ goals in that game. Forsberg has 13 goals and 12 assists in 26 career games against the Oilers.

Nashville player Juuse Saros (2.75 goals against average) made 32 saves in that game. Backup Scott Wedgewood has a 3.54 GAA while splitting his two starts this season, both coming at home.

Edmonton’s Calvin Pickard (2.91 goals-against average) made one of his three starts this season in Nashville and recorded 25 saves. Meanwhile, Stuart Skinner (3.51 GAA) scored nine goals on 48 shots while losing his first two road starts of 2024-25.

Draisaitl has 25 goals and 18 assists in 27 career games against the Predators.