McDavid injury chance for other Oilers 'to step up': coach

Glass half empty or glass half full?

Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch hopes his players believe in the latter phrase as he mentioned the word "opportunity" several times Wednesday afternoon after news that the team's biggest star, Connor McDavid, won't play for the next two-to-three weeks – as many as 11 games – because of an ankle injury.

Knoblauch said other players will get chances not only to show they can be effective offensively by "stepping up and playing to their potential."

McDavid, after all, has averaged one-and-a-half points per game early into the 10th season of his National Hockey League career.

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"I think it's a great opportunity for everyone to step up and play," Knoblauch told media at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena, site of Thursday's Oilers game against the host Predators (6 p.m. MT).

"When you're missing somebody who's playing about 22 minutes a night, there's a lot more rhythm flow for those third-, fourth-line guys, and (they'll better be able) to feel good about themselves and feel part of the game."

McDavid, five-time winner of the NHL's Art Ross Trophy as scoring leader and three-time recipient of the Hart Trophy as league most-valuable player, was injured Monday in Columbus when he tripped and went left skate first into the boards on his first shift.

He left the ice carefully and didn't return to the eventual 6-1 Oilers loss and was sent back to Edmonton instead of continuing on the team's road trip.

As you might expect, the Oilers historically play better when McDavid is in the lineup. They won just one of six games the superstar missed last season.

Scoring was already a concern for the Oilers when McDavid got injured.

Heading into Thursday's game, McDavid is tied for the team lead in scoring with Leon Draisaitl. Each has 10 points. The next highest-scoring forwards in the Oilers lineup, Jeff Skinner and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, have four each. Two other top-six mainstays – Zach Hyman and Viktor Arvidsson – have four points, and zero goals, between them.

Stepping into the Oilers roster spot emptied by McDavid and by placing forward Evander Kane on long-term injury reserve are minor-league call-ups Noah Philp and Drake Caggiula. Both got long looks from Oilers coaches at this year's training camp.

Knoblauch said he thought Caggiula "had a heck of a" preseason.

"He showed very strong in the exhibition games," he said. "There were numerous games where he could have multiple goals, and it just wasn't going in for him."

When it comes to potential lineup changes with McDavid sidelined, Knoblauch said to expect changes to personnel and strategy, and that practice isn't necessarily a good time to see what works in game situations.

"In practice, it's (that) guys are reluctant to shoot because they don't want to hurt anybody," he said.

"There are no one-timers, because you don't want to be ripping them off ankles. It's not a game situation, but they're trying to get familiar with each other."