McDavid OK after scary crash into the goalpost

A quiet fell over the crowd at Rogers Place Monday. The Edmonton Oilers captain was down on the ice, his face buried in his gloved hands.

While racing to the net with 16 minutes left in the second period Connor McDavid fell to the ice, slammed his back into a goalpost and crashed into the end boards, at one point appearing to grab for his hip.

Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman Jeff Petry was penalized for interference on the play, and after the Oilers scored with the man advantage, McDavid returned from the dressing room and kept playing.

"He looked pretty good to me this morning. He looked pretty good to me when he came back into the game last night," head coach Jay Woodcroft told reporters Tuesday.

It wasn't McDavid's first scary run-in with an NHL goal post.

The Oilers superstar tore a ligament in his knee when he crashed into a post in Calgary in 2019. McDavid was tripped driving to the net. There were 16 minutes left in the second period that time too.

“I thought my leg was in two pieces. I was just worried to stand up, I thought my leg was going to give away,” McDavid explained in a documentary about his 2019 injury and recovery.

He was back on the ice the next season, and he's expected to play Wednesday against the Blues in St. Louis.

Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid, left, has his knee tended too after crashing into Calgary Flames goalie Mike Smith during second period NHL hockey action in Calgary, Saturday, April 6, 2019. Connor McDavid didn't want to answer questions about his knee. The brace hugging his left leg and an accompanying limp said enough. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

"I don't think the general public, when they talk about Connor, have a true understanding with how tough of a hockey player he is and the abuse that he endures because he's willing to go to hard areas just night in, night out," Woodcroft said.

Aside from the knee injury, McDavid has been healthy for most of his career, suiting up for at least 78 games four times already. He missed two weeks with a quad injury in 2020 and was in COVID-19 protocol briefly last year, but he's almost always out there.

"I don't think he gets enough credit for that and what he plays through just on a daily basis. He's one tough hockey player," Woodcroft said.

The Oilers went on to win 6-3 against the Penguins, in the process setting a franchise-record with 26 shots in the second period. Edmonton is looking for revenge after losing 2-0 to the Blues on Saturday.

Rookie Dylan Holloway skated again Tuesday but is not expected to play. Woodcroft said he's close to returning.

The Oilers play in St. Louis at 6:00 p.m. MT Wednesday.