NHL: Edmonton Oilers at New York Rangers – Source: Imagn
The Edmonton Oilers and Connor McDavid are set to face the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. On Saturday, the Oilers captain rallied Oilers nation with a special Instagram post on his account.
McDavid shared a carousel of three pictures in gameday gear and added a two-word message.
“About time,” he wrote in the caption.
In the first picture, McDavid was seen leading the team out of the tunnel. The second photo showed him skating onto the ice mid-stride as arena lights lit up the scene with dramatic shadows.
The last shot showed a group hug on the ice where McDavid was surrounded by teammates Zach Hyman, Leon Draisaitl, Rvan Bouchard and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
The Oilers will play the Kings in Game 1 of the Round 1 standoff between the two contenders. Given Edmonton had lost the home ice advantage during the final push for the playoffs, the Kings will be hosting Connor McDvaid and co. at Crypto.com Arena on Monday.
Connor McDavid not concerned about injuries heading into postseason
Earlier this week, the Oilers captain made it clear that he is not concerned about injuries heading into the playoffs. Connor McDavid had previously missed Monday’s regular game against the Los Angeles Kings for precautionary reasons.
After Tuesday’s optional skate at Downtown Community Arena, McDavid spoke to the media and mentioned that the team’s health situation is better than many believe.
“We’ve had a great string of health here for a long time,” he said. “And you know, I saw now we’re kind of alluded to, everything’s kind of hitting us at once. And while that is true. Guys are healthier than it may seem.”
He claimed that the whole team is doing whatever it takes to be prepared and that everyone is focused on the playoffs.
“I think we kind of have this like aura about us for the walking wounded, but, we’re just fine,” McDavid added. “Everybody’s going to be ready to roll. Everybody is doing whatever they can. I don’t like this whole notion that we’re the walking wounded here, we’re ready to roll.”
Connor McDavid mentioned that the team is sharp and locked in. As the playoffs approach, the captain claimed that he is confident the Oilers are in a good place to perform strongly.