Oilers superstars McDavid, Draisaitl out at least a week; Stuart Skinner avoids injury scare

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Oilers superstars McDavid, Draisaitl out at least a week; Stuart Skinner avoids injury scare

2025-03-22 05:20 Last Updated At：05:41

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — The Edmonton Oilers lost both a game and another superstar Thursday, falling 4-3 in overtime to the Winnipeg Jets after Connor McDavid left with a lower-body injury.

McDavid exited following a second-period collision with Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey.

The Oilers were already without NHL-leading goal scorer Leon Draisaitl (lower body). Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said Friday that both players will likely be out at least a week.

“I’d say day to day, maybe a week (for McDavid) and Leon same kind of timeline,” Knoblauch said. “They’ll be probably out up to a week.”

The Oilers also lost starting goaltender Stuart Skinner late in the third period against the Jets, but Knoblauch said he will be available Saturday against the Seattle Kraken.

Skinner was pulled by the concussion spotter, a decision Knoblauch said postgame he would not have made. Skinner also disagreed with the decision.

“Stu is fine and eligible to play tomorrow night,” added Knoblauch.

Draisaitl, who leads the league with 49 goals, was hurt Tuesday in Edmonton’s 7-1 win over Utah. He showed some discomfort but finished the game.

“They reevaluated and figured out it was more than they anticipated,” Knoblauch said on Draisaitl’s injury.

Veteran forward Derek Ryan, who was called up Tuesday but hasn’t played, will likely slot into the lineup Saturday.

Jeff Skinner, a former 40-goal scorer, stepped up by scoring twice in a bigger role.

“It was only a matter of time before he put the puck in the net,” Knoblauch said.

Skinner has been a healthy scratch several times this season after signing as a free agent in the summer.

The 32-year-old has 13 goals in 59 games this season.

“He’s done it so many times, and we need them,” Knoblauch said. “Especially right now with the injuries that we have, we’ll need guys stepping up. And he’s one of those guys we’ll be looking to play a big role.”

Evander Kane, on long-term injured reserve after undergoing abdominal surgery in September and knee surgery in January, is back skating with the team.

For now, he has been practicing in small groups and participating in light skates, but his progression seems “optimistic,” according to Knoblauch.

“He’ll be joining regular practices, and you know he’s been putting in the work and getting ready to play, and hopefully sometime during the playoffs, he’s available for us,” he said.

“He’s a world-class athlete, world-class player. Last year, he battled through a lot of injuries and now surgeries. Hopefully, he can be healthy and ready for us. Obviously, he could make a huge impact on our team.”

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Justin Rose steals the Masters show and builds 3-shot lead over Scottie Scheffler

2025-04-11 07:47 Last Updated At：07:52

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Justin Rose managed to steal the attention away from Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy in the Masters by matching his personal best at Augusta National with a 7-under 65 for a three-shot lead Thursday in the first major of the year.

Scheffler did his part in his bid to win a third Masters green jacket in four years, playing a bogey-free round of 68.

McIlroy, so desperate to win this major and complete the career Grand Slam, was right there with him until the end. He took a pair of double bogeys late in the afternoon with careless mistakes and had to settle for a 72. It was the seventh straight time he failed to break 70 in the opening round of the Masters.

Rose burst out of the gates with three straight birdies. He added three more around the turn. He was headed for a round nearly 10 shots better than the field average until a poor tee shot into the trees led to his only bogey at the final hole.

No matter. This was a reminder to Rose that his good golf is still very good.

“I'm 44. Golf is not going to get easier for me in the next five, 10 years, whatever it's going to be,” Rose said. “So your opportunity is less going forward. So you have to make the most of it.”

Rose set one Masters record: The fifth time he has had at least a share of the 18-hole lead, breaking the mark held by Jack Nicklaus. The glaring difference, of course, is Nicklaus has six of those green jackets.

It also was the eighth time Rose has had at least a share of the lead after any round at Augusta National, something only five others have done. All are Masters champions.

“I feel like I've played well enough to win this tournament,” said Rose, whose best chance was a playoff loss to Sergio Garcia in 2017. “I just feel like I don't have the jacket to prove it. ... But you've got to be playing the golf to keep creating those opportunities, and the only way to do that is to get your name on the leaderboard. I definitely don't shy away from it.”

Scheffler was 3 under at the turn, including one birdie on the par-5 eighth in which his ball was deep in a divot hole short of the green. He managed to get that out some 20 feet left of the pin and used the slope to bring it back to 15 feet and made the putt.

He was rarely under stress.

“I struggled for what felt like two pars today,” Scheffler said “But other than that, the golf course was in front of me most of the day, kept the ball in play, did a lot of really good things out there.”

Corey Conners of Canada birdied his last two holes for a 68, and they were joined Ludvig Aberg, the super Swede who was runner-up to Scheffler in his Masters debut a year ago.

U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau and Tyrrell Hatton carried the LIV Golf flag, both at 69. DeChambeau had seven birdies in his up-and-down day, a show of his scoring power.

“Making some bogeys for me probably frees me up a little bit and says, you know what? Just go out and play some golf,” DeChambeau said.

The roars came early, along with a few shockers.

Fred Couples, who wondered a month ago if at 65 with a creaky back he would still be welcomed to play, became only the second player that age to break par. Couples holed out from the fairway on the 14th with a 6-iron hybrid on his way to a 71. Tom Watson was also 65 — by 28 days he is still the oldest — when he shot 71 in 2015.

The horror show belonged to Nick Dunlap, a 21-year-old who last year won on the PGA Tour as an amateur. This must have felt like amateur hour when he made double bogey on the final hole for a 90. It was the highest score since Ben Crenshaw shot 91 in 2015 at ag 63.

Hideki Matsuyama might have caught the worst break when his approach into the par-5 13th hit the pin and caromed into the tributary of Rae's Creek. The wildest day belonged to Nicolai Hojgaard — one eagle, five birdies, four pars, five bogeys and three double bogeys. Do the math and that comes out to 76.

“It's mentally draining playing a round like this,” Hojgaard said.

And then there was McIlroy, chipping into the water from behind the 15th green for double bogey, and then going long on the 17th and compounding that mistake with a three-putt for another double bogey.

Far more blissful on a warm spring day was Rose, who at one point had it going so well that he felt like a pitcher throwing a no-hitter.

He pitched to 6 feet for birdie on the par-5 eighth. He hit wedge to the ninth and used the slope to set up a 5-foot birdie, giving him a career-low 31 on the front nine. That was followed by a 12-foot birdie putt.

“That's when the day felt a bit different. That’s when I felt I was doing something potentially more on the special side,” Rose said.

And then he really began to pull away from the field with a smart pitch away from the water to set up a 10-foot birdie on the 15th, followed by a 20-foot birdie on the par-3 16th. The pins on the final two holes allowed for birdies and Rose was thinking super special. He got par-bogey instead that didn't ruin his mood.

The average score was 73.6. Only six players broke 70, and 20 others broke par.

“Overall, great day," Rose said.. “I played a lot of golf here at Augusta National. So to come away with my equal best score is certainly an achievement for me.”

Still three days away is an achievement that so far has eluded him.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf