Oilers' Connor McDavid a game-time decision, Connor Ingram to start Game 5 vs. Ducks

AtlanticBruinsCanadiensLightningMaple LeafsPanthersRed WingsSabresSenatorsMetropolitanBlue JacketsCapitalsDevilsFlyersHurricanesIslandersPenguinsRangersCentralAvalancheBlackhawksBluesJetsMammothPredatorsStarsWildPacificCanucksDucksFlamesGolden KnightsKingsKrakenOilersSharksScores & ScheduleStandingsPodcastsFantasyNHL OddsNHL PicksPlayoff bracketStanley Cup tiersNHL Draft rankingRed Light NewsletterNHL Playoffs Connor McDavid and the Oilers are one loss away from a first-round elimination. Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images Share articleEDMONTON — Connor McDavid did not take the Edmonton Oilers’ morning skate and will be a game-time decision for Game 5 against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night, coach Kris Knoblauch said. The Oilers, down 3-1 in the series and one loss away from a first-round elimination, are also turning back to goaltender Connor Ingram, who backed up Tristan Jarry in Edmonton’s 5-4 overtime loss in Game 4. McDavid appeared to injure his ankle in Edmonton’s Game 2 loss after getting tied up with teammate Mattias Ekholm. The Ducks have since beaten Edmonton in three straight, and while McDavid has produced points, he’s clearly not 100 percent and also took what Knoblauch called a “maintenance day” on Saturday in Anaheim ahead of Game 4. Asked about the state of his health on Sunday, McDavid responded by saying the Oilers “feel we’re all doing the best we can out there.” Third-line center Jason Dickinson will also be a game-time decision, Knoblauch said. Dickinson, who injured his ankle blocking a shot late in the regular season, also missed Games 2 and 3. After tightening up for the last 10 games of the regular season, the Oilers are having across-the-board defensive struggles against the Ducks. Anaheim has outscored the Oilers 17-11 over the last three games, outshot them 105-89 and scored six power-play goals. Edmonton has blown two-goal leads in consecutive games. “Obviously, injuries are affecting how we’re playing. Obviously, there’s some, but there’s a lot of teams that have injuries and they still continue to play well. I see some of the things that we’re doing right now weren’t the things that we were doing at the end of the season,” Knoblauch said. “I don’t think we’ve seen the best out of our group even though there’s some circumstances and some guys that are not 100 percent, but I still think we got a lot more.” Leon Draisaitl, who missed the last month of the regular season, will be in the lineup. He, like McDavid, took a maintenance day on Saturday. “I think every team has things that they have to battle through,” Draisaitl said. “Obviously it’s not ideal right now at the moment, but we gotta find a way to grind through it, and we gotta find a way to stick to it.” Ingram, meanwhile, had been benched in favor of Jarry for Game 4 after allowing six goals on 38 shots in a 7-4 Game 3 loss. In the first three games combined, Ingram stopped 79 of 93 shots, a step backward after seizing the starting job down the stretch. “I thought (Jarry) had a solid game the other night, but going down these last few weeks or months, Ingram’s been our starter. He’s been our guy,” Knoblauch said. “Now that our season’s on the line, we felt that we would go with our guy.” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms