Things can go from bad to worse really quickly. The Edmonton Oilers have had a tough start to the season. And that’s fine, it happened a year ago and they still ended up in the Stanley Cup Final. But when you tack on an injury to Connor McDavid and then follow it up with a terrible 6-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, it might be time to start panicking.

McDavid left the game shortly after the opening faceoff. He was tripped up entering the zone and his left leg crashed into the boards at full speed. Oilers head coach Krisk Knoblauch said after the game that McDavid was on his way back to Edmonton to get re-evaluated. The Oilers, however, are heading to Nashville to take on the Predators following their brutal loss to the Blue Jackets.

Connor McDavid will not return after sustaining a lower body injury off the opening faceoff vs. the Blue Jackets.

McDavid’s shift only lasted 37 seconds. pic.twitter.com/iM0FiaN9w8

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) October 28, 2024

TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reported midway through the game that the early word is that the injury isn’t serious. But you have to imagine the Oilers captain is going to at least miss Thursday’s game, which in itself isn’t good news.

The Oilers are 4-5-1 through 10 games. Their -13 goal differential is among the worst in the NHL and they can’t seem to get things going as quickly as hoped. McDavid has only three goals and 10 points and starting goalie Stuart Skinner has had a brutal start, winning just two of seven starts and boasting a .872 save percentage.

Colorado Hockey Now

Jared Bednar had a pretty interesting response when asked about his goaltending situation. Alexandar Georgiev started the first five games and was 1-4 before Justus Annunen was called upon in the next four games, going 4-0-0 and surrendering eight goals in the process. In Monday’s second leg of a back-to-back, Bednar went back to Georgiev, and he struggled early, allowing two goals on six shots and three in the first period. The Avalanche went on to lose 5-2 after giving up two empty-net goals.

But with that being said, my notebook on Monday asks, who is the Avalanche’s starting goalie?

My colleague Colleen Flynn also caught up with a couple of the guys in the room to chat about the importance of home-ice advantage.

Around The NHL

Steven Stamkos: The Lightning are in Denver already, preparing for a matchup against the Avalanche tomorrow night. But on Tuesday, they hosted the Nashville Predators and welcomed back longtime center Steven Stamkos. The former team captain was honored with an emotional tribute early and stepped up his game later on, recording two assists to help the Preds erase a 2-0 deficit.

Unfortunately for Stamkos, the homecoming didn’t end as hoped. Nick Paul scored in OT for Tampa Bay to lift them to a 3-2 victory. Stamkos had a team-high six shots in 21:02.

Winnipeg: The Avs’ Central Division rival finally lost on Tuesday, although they managed to make it interesting. The Jets trailed 4-0 to the Toronto Maple Leafs but scored twice on the power play in the second period to cut the lead in half. After Toronto answered back to make it 5-2, Winnipeg again scored twice to make it 5-4 late before an empty-netter for the Maple Leafs put the game away. Both Kyle Connor (WPG) and John Tavares (TOR) finished with a hat trick in the entertaining back-and-forth contest.

The Jets fell to 7-1-0. The Avs play Winnipeg for the first time on the road on Nov. 7.

Montreal Hockey Now: Cole Caufield has been we fire to start the season. I can’t help but think he’s playing his way into a key role on Team USA for the upcoming 4 Nations Faceoff.