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McDavid returns to the Oilers lineup

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Colton Pankiw
March 11, 2020  (1:54 PM)
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Connor McDavid will return to the Edmonton Oilers lineup for Wednesday night's game against the Winnipeg Jets. He was forced to miss Monday's game versus the Vegas Golden Knights due to illness, and logged just 17:01 in ice time the prior game because he was not feeling well.

It was extremely unfortunate for the Oilers that McDavid wasn't feeling well enough to play the Golden Knights on Monday. It was a massive game for the team, as they entered the contest trailing Vegas by two points for first place in the Pacific Division. They ended up losing the game 3-2 in overtime, and certainly missed their captain as they were heavily outplayed all night, with the final shots being 48-24 in favour of Vegas.

It has been a frustrating last little stretch for McDavid. He was recently forced to miss six games due to a quad injury, and got this illness shortly after. Despite missing time, he still sits second in league scoring with 96 points. Although it isn't likely he catches teammate Leon Draisaitl who has 110, it has still been a fantastic season for him. Even with the time missed, it is possible he breaks last year's career high of 116 points, as the Oilers still have 12 games remaining.

Tonight's matchup with the Jets is a massive game for both teams. Edmonton comes into tonight trailing the Golden Knights by three points for first in the Pacific, while also having a game in hand. Winnipeg, on the other hand, sits in a three-way tie with the Vancouver Canucks and Nashville Predators for the wild card position with 70 points, but sit behind both teams in the standings due to having an extra game played. With how tight the Western Conference is, there is no doubt the final stretch of this season will be one of the most exciting finishes we have seen in years.