McDavid rebounds from early-season bug

Young Oilers star fought illness in first part of season

By: Mike Sawatzky Posted: 8:07 PM CST Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2017 Last Modified: 8:09 PM CST Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2017 | Updates

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Connor McDavid hasn’t missed a start this season, but a lingering illness meant the NHL’s brightest star was operating at less than top speed for many of Edmonton’s first 36 regular-season games.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/12/2017 (2904 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

“What the hockey world doesn’t know and they were somewhat aware was how sick he was at one given point,” Oilers head coach Todd McLellan said, prior to Wednesday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets at Bell MTS Place.

“He was probably three weeks fighting some bug off and finally got healthy and picked up another one that was going through the team.

Jason Franson / The Canadian Press Files
Edmonton Oilers sniper Connor McDavid (left) is only eight points behind the league’s scoring leader Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning. — Jason Franson / The Canadian Press Files Edmonton Oilers sniper Connor McDavid (left) is only eight points behind the league’s scoring leader Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“So, he had almost a month’s worth of not playing at 100 per cent. Yet his numbers, his stats, his production is right where it was last year when he put up 100 points. The difference is where are team is at. It doesn’t fall solely on 97’s shoulders. It falls on everybody’s.”

The numbers back McLellan’s claim.

The Oilers stumbled out of the gate, going 3-6-1 in October and they were still four games under .500 at the end of November. In December, the tables turned. Edmonton was 7-4-0 during the month following Wednesday’s loss to the Jets, and McDavid had caught fire, with 14 points in 11 games.

After 37 games, McDavid’s 14 goals and 45 points were only six points behind league-leading Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

But McDavid isn’t just a point-producing machine. During Edmonton’s 4-1 win Saturday over the Montreal Canadiens, McDavid limped off after blocking a shot with his foot.

By Wednesday, he looked fit and none the worse for wear.

“He was fine. He blocked a shot. It stung a little bit and he’s back at it, he’s ready to go,” McLellan said.

“As I said after the game in Edmonton — the big debate will come if Connor McDavid should be blocking shots. And I meant that, because it creates a storm.

“You’ve gotta look at it from a team’s perspective because that’s what you’re building as team. It’s hard to walk in and say, ‘You, you and you, you aren’t blocking shots, get out of the way and oh, you three, you get in the way.’ That’s not how you build a team.”

John Woods / The Canadian Press
Winnipeg Jets' Tyler Myers (57) celebrates his goal during first period NHL hockey action in Winnipeg on Thursday, October 27, 2016. — John Woods / The Canadian Press Winnipeg Jets' Tyler Myers (57) celebrates his goal during first period NHL hockey action in Winnipeg on Thursday, October 27, 2016.

Edmonton’s recent hot streak has included good performances against top-flight opposition.

“It was good, we played some good teams, some we’ve had trouble with in the past like St. Louis who beat us pretty good,” McDavid said. “We were able to find a way to get a win against them, San Jose and Montreal. We feel good about that.”

Jumping back into the playoff chase has eased some of the early worry about the possibility of missing the post-season.

“I mean, we’re four points out (of a playoff spot),” McDavid said. “I don’t think anyone would’ve expected that. It has a lot to do with how close the West has been and we’ll take that. There’s a lot of different teams that are in position to make the playoffs and we’re one of them. We’ll keep battling away. We’ve got a long way to go.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @sawa14

QUICK TURNAROUND

The Oilers had a 5:30 a.m. wakeup call Wednesday for a 6:30 a.m. charter flight to Winnipeg after the three-day Christmas break. It was a less-than-ideal scenario.

“I think it’s awkward for everybody,” head coach Todd McLellan said. “You go on a three-day turkey break, and it is that, and they deserve that opportunity — time to spend with family and time to leave the skates hanging in the stalls and not use them and rest. But this game is always a crapshoot, whether you’re the home team or the visiting team. Yet the value of the points is the exact same today as they will in March and April.”

The break can be a challenge for coaches and players.

“Three days doesn’t seem like a long time to the average fan, but in the hockey world, it is,” McLellan said. “You lose rhythm, you lose your routine and when players lose their routine they can be way out of whack.”
MYERS FINDING HIS GROOVE

Jets blue-liner Tyler Myers is in the midst of an excellent bounce-back season, coming on the heels of an injury-filled 2016-17 in which he only played in 11 games. Myers has five goals, 19 points and is one of 10 Winnipeg players to have dressed for all 37 games.

“I’ve really like where I’ve take my game the last couple of months,” Myers said. “Obviously, there was a bit of an adjustment coming back at the start of the year, but I’ve felt good for a long time now.”

A healthy workload has also helped him develop a nice partnership with blue-line partner, Dmitry Kulikov.

“It’s gone well,” Myers said. “He’s a guy with a bunch of skill and I think for us, the important thing is communicating on the ice and trying to be close to each other on the ice so we can make those five-, 10-foot passes to get out of the zone or in the neutral zone. I think if we just focus on little things like that, it allows us to have a lot of chemistry out there.”

FACING THE OILERS

After the Christmas break, the Jets planned to put a premium on smart, simple hockey against the high-flying Oilers Wednesday and for the rematch Sunday in Edmonton.

“I don’t think we ever go in and say anything different,” Jets head coach Paul Maurice said. “I don’t think we ever say let’s really handle the puck tonight and slow this thing down. But the cost of not doing it is greater (against the Oilers).

“You can survive nights where you’re over-handling the puck or you over-complicate it at times. But in a game like this, it’s the passer and the receiver you’re worried about. Are you sharp enough with the puck, can you handle the puck when it gets to you? You want to limit as many overly creative plays today — get it out, get it in.”

INJURY UPDATE

Maurice said veteran Jets defencemen Dustin Byfuglien (lower body) and Toby Enstrom (upper body), both sidelined by injury, are moving closer to returning to active duty.

“He’s making some progress,” Maurice said of Byfuglien, who has missed eight games and hasn’t played since Dec. 9. “Both he and Toby skated this morning and I think he’ll be the first one back. Toby’s still on that eight-week window with his injury, but doing well. I’m hoping for sometime probably just after the first (of January) for Dustin.”

Enstrom, meanwhile, has been sidelined for 19 games since being injured on Nov. 18.