It's never a bad time for good news when it comes to Connor McDavid.
The Edmonton Oilers superstar returned to practice on Monday, marking his first time back on the ice since suffering an ankle injury last week.
"Feels pretty good," McDavid said after practice. "Not too much limiting me on the ice. I'm happy with how it feels."
After practice, head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed that McDavid would not suit up against the Devils on Monday, but the Oilers captain didn't rule out the chance that he could be available by the weekend.
"We're gonna go day by day here," McDavid said about the possibility of suiting up in the coming days. "We'll see, I felt good out there today and we'll how it responds and go from there."
On Wednesday Knoblauch told reporters that the team had avoided the worst-case scenario with McDavid's injury and he was only expected to miss two to three weeks.
Edmonton has fared well without him so far, picking up two straight wins against the Nashville Predators and Calgary Flames and sit fourth in the Pacific division at 6-5-1.
McDavid suffered the injury in the first period last week Monday against the Columbus Blue Jackets and did not return to the game.
The injury appeared to occur just after the opening faceoff as McDavid was chasing a puck dumped into the offensive zone. He was tripped alongside the boards and seemed to fall awkwardly, ramming his left foot into the side board.
McDavid was able to get up and skate off the ice on his own and remained on the bench for several minutes before heading to the dressing room. In total, he played just 37 seconds before leaving the game.
"When it first happens, obviously you're concerned that it's maybe something a little more serious," McDavid said. "Thankfully I got good news on it. I've been doing everything possible to make it feel better and I'm not just sitting around waiting for it to feel better."
McDavid has three goals and seven assists in 10 games this season for the reigning Western Conference champs.
McDavid had missed just eight games in the past four seasons prior to this injury.
The Oilers host the New Jersey Devils on Monday night as they go for a third consecutive win.
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