McDavid is questionable for Edmonton's next game, a clash with the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
"The most important thing is playoffs, that we are ready," Knoblauch told The Associated Press. "I think we've got depth. You're never going to replace Connor, but we've got healthy bodies. We want to make sure everyone is healthy as much as possible going into the playoffs."
The five-time Art Ross Trophy winner is one assist away from 100 on the season - a feat that's only been achieved by three other players in NHL history: Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky, and Bobby Orr.
McDavid has 130 points in 74 games this season, the third-most in the league behind Nathan MacKinnon (133) and Nikita Kucherov (136).
The Oilers have already clinched a playoff spot but still have a 17.7% chance to win the Pacific Division, per MoneyPuck.
Montreal Canadiens center Christian Dvorak will make a surprising return to the lineup Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers, the team announced.
Dvorak was expected to miss the remainder of the season after suffering a torn pec on Dec. 30.
He's recorded seven points in 25 games this season. The 28-year-old has one more year on his contract with a $4.45-million cap hit. Montreal has five games left in its season.
However, defenseman Arber Xhekaj will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery Wednesday.
The 23-year-old is expected to be ready for the start of the 2024-25 campaign.
Xhekaj finishes his sophomore season with 10 points, 81 penalty minutes, and 125 hits in 44 games. He averaged 15:56 of ice time per contest.
The Hamilton, Ontario, product is a pending restricted free agent but is under team control until 2028.
Tampa Bay Lightning's Mikhail Sergachev returned to practice Monday in a red non-contact jersey for the first time since suffering a leg injury, but head coach Jon Cooper poured cold water on the idea that the defenseman is nearing a return.
"He's making progress, but don't read into it that he's going to be a first-round playoff participant because he won't be," Cooper said, per NHL.com's Chris Krenn. "But who knows? We win a round or two, never say never. Like I said, great to have him out there."
The Lightning clinched a playoff berth for the seventh straight year Friday.
Sergachev hasn't played since fracturing his tibia and fibula on Feb. 7. That game was his first after he suffered a foot injury that caused him to miss nearly two months.
The 25-year-old has recorded 19 points in 34 games this season as Tampa's No. 2 defenseman behind Victor Hedman.
Pittsburgh Penguins winger Michael Bunting hopes his second trip back to Toronto is just as successful as the first one.
Bunting scored a goal in the Carolina Hurricanes' 3-2 win over the Maple Leafs in December when he played for the Canes.
"Coming back to (play) an old team and coming back home is always fun. It's easy to wake up for this game," the Scarborough, Ontario, native said Monday ahead of Pittsburgh's clash with Toronto. "Especially how big this game is for us. We're fighting for our lives here and we know it's a big one so I'll be ready to go."
Bunting was traded to Pittsburgh as part of the blockbuster deal that sent Jake Guentzel to Carolina. Bunting's production has increased since the trade: He's recorded five goals and eight assists in 16 games for the Penguins, including scoring a crucial game-winner on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning to keep Pittsburgh's playoff hopes alive.
The 28-year-old signed a three-year, $13.5-million contract with the Hurricanes as a free agent this offseason. But he's averaging a minute-and-a-half more per game since the swap, skating on Pittsburgh's second line with Evgeni Malkin and Rickard Rakell and playing on the top power-play unit.
"I wouldn't say that Carolina wasn't a good fit. It was a lot of fun ... and I made some really good friends," Bunting said. "But I just came here and got the opportunity to play bigger minutes and I've gelled with my line really well. I just had confidence in my game and just wanted to prove that I still belong and am still an impactful player."
Bunting spent two seasons with the Maple Leafs from 2021-23, recording 112 points in 161 games while finishing as a Calder Trophy finalist in 2022. He garnered a reputation as a pest during his time in Toronto, but Leafs forward William Nylander plans on giving Bunting a taste of his own medicine.
Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar wasn't impressed with his club's defensive effort in Sunday's 7-4 loss to the division-rival Dallas Stars.
"The defending breakdowns we had, we did some dumb stuff today," Bednar said postgame, according to DNVR. "They all led to really good scoring chances against."
Bednar was quick to defend goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, who allowed six goals on 36 shots.
"I thought he was great tonight, I did," Bednar said. "You can't fault him on any of the goals. I think there's probably one he would like back."
Dallas generated 6.68 expected goals in the contest, compared to Colorado's 3.86, per Natural Stat Trick.
Georgiev has been a workhorse this season, ranking second in the NHL with 60 appearances. But his .898 save percentage on the campaign pales in comparison to the .918 mark he posted a year ago. His save percentage over his last three games is just .833.
Rookie Justus Annunen has been Colorado's best goalie of late, sporting a .931 save percentage since his recall in January. The 24-year-old has only faced three playoff teams in his 12 appearances, though.
The Stars now hold a five-point edge over the Avalanche for the Central Division title.
Does anyone want the final two playoff spots in the NHL's Eastern Conference?
Six teams in the East have clinched, but third place in the Metropolitan Division and the second wild-card spot remain wide open. It's been a turtle race as of late, with none of the five clubs alive truly separating themselves from the pack. The five teams are separated by just two points, which should make for plenty of drama down the stretch.
Below, we break down each of the hopefuls, ordered by points percentage.
Points: 85 (.552) Playoff odds: 60.3% Last 10 games: 6-4-0 Games remaining: vs. NYR, vs. MTL, @ NYR, @ NJ, vs. PIT
Many thought the Islanders' playoff chances would be contingent on reigning Vezina Trophy runner-up Ilya Sorokin. But 35-year-old Semyon Varlamov has been handling the bulk of the workload as of late, starting five of the last eight games. He's won four of those and has a .938 save percentage.
Two games left against the division-leading Rangers is far from ideal, but there could be a lot at stake in the final game of the season against the Penguins.
Detroit Red Wings
Dave Reginek / National Hockey League / Getty
Points: 84 (.545) Playoff odds: 51.5% Last 10 games: 4-4-2 Games remaining: vs. WSH, @ PIT, @ TOR, vs. MTL, @ MTL
It's the second wild card or bust for the Red Wings, who are the only Atlantic Division squad in this race. Finishing just short would be awfully disappointing for Detroit, which is looking to snap a seven-year playoff drought - the second-longest streak in the NHL.
Detroit arguably has the most favorable remaining schedule of the five teams. Regulation wins against the Capitals and Penguins will essentially be worth four points apiece. The Leafs are pretty much stuck in third in the Atlantic Division and don't have a ton to play for down the stretch. The Canadiens are among the league's worst teams.
The Red Wings were once comfortably in a playoff spot, but five wins in their last 18 games means they're fighting for their lives.
Washington Capitals
Patrick Smith / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Points: 83 (.539) Playoff odds: 24.3% Last 10 games: 3-5-2 Games remaining: @ DET, @ BUF, vs. TB, vs. BOS, @ PHI
Have the Capitals been lucky or opportunistic? Their minus-41 goal differential is the sixth-worst mark in the league and would be the worst by an NHL playoff team in the last 30 years. But despite being blown out a lot, Spencer Carbery's group seems to have a knack for coming out on the right side of tight games.
There are two primary reasons Washington is still alive. First is journeyman goaltender Charlie Lindgren, who's hidden many of Washington's flaws with his superb season. The second is that Alex Ovechkin is scoring again. After an uncharacteristically quiet first half, Ovi has found twine 21 times in his last 31 contests.
Regulation victories against the Red Wings and Flyers, plus another somewhere in between, could be all the Capitals need to head back to the playoffs after missing them for the first time since 2014 last season.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Points: 84 (.538) Playoff odds: 38.6% Last 10 games: 6-1-3 Games remaining: vs. DET, vs. BOS, vs. NSH, @ NYI
Can Sidney Crosby will his team to the playoffs? It seemed improbable at one point, which is why the front office traded star winger Jake Guentzel at the deadline. But the captain has put the team on his back lately, racking up 16 points during Pittsburgh's 6-0-2 run. The Pens are undoubtedly the hottest team on this list.
The Penguins have also been riding the hot hand in net with Alex Nedeljkovic starting eight straight games over Tristan Jarry, who signed a five-year, $26.9-million contract in the offseason. "Ned" has posted a .917 save percentage in that span.
Its schedule is pretty daunting, but Pittsburgh owns tiebreakers over the Flyers, Capitals, and Islanders by virtue of regulation wins.
Philadelphia Flyers
Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Points: 83 (.532) Playoff odds: 25% Last 10 games: 2-5-3 Games remaining: @ MTL, @ NYR, vs. NJ, vs. WSH
The Flyers were never supposed to be here. Against all preseason projections, they held the third spot in the Metro for much of the campaign. However, they've started to unravel and are clearly the coldest team on this list. Head coach John Tortorella recently rallied against suggestions that the team doesn't belong in the race. Can they get back on track?
An answer between the pipes will make or break Philadelphia's season. Samuel Ersson has started to run out of steam, and newcomer Ivan Fedotov has played just a handful of games in North America. Can one of them make enough saves down the stretch? The Flyers' final game of the season against the Capitals could be a do-or-die tilt.
Tomas Hertl will likely make his Vegas Golden Knights debut Monday against the Vancouver Canucks, head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters Sunday.
The Golden Knights acquired Hertl from the San Jose Sharks in a stunning deadline deal, but the forward hasn't played since Jan. 27 while recovering from knee surgery.
Referee Steve Kozari had to be stretchered off the ice after colliding with Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Haydn Fleury during Saturday's game between the Bolts and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Video of the collision between Steve Kozari and Haydn Fleury
Fleury skated off the ice under his own power, though he was bleeding from his face. He was ruled out for the remainder of the game with an upper-body injury.
Kozari was taken to a local hospital as a precaution, is conscious and alert, has the use of all his extremities, and is likely to recover fully, the NHL stated postgame.
He's been officiating at the NHL level for nearly 20 years, working his first game in 2005. He's been part of over 1,200 regular-season contests and 135 playoff tilts.
Colorado Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen will be "under evaluation for a while" after suffering an injury Friday against the Edmonton Oilers, head coach Jared Bednar told reporters postgame.
Rantanen was on the receiving end of a huge hit by Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm during the second period and didn't return. The collision visibly shook him up, and Colorado later ruled him out with an upper-body injury.
The referees didn't penalize Ekholm for the hit. Avalanche defenseman Jack Johnson received a two-minute minor for unsportsmanlike conduct for challenging Ekholm afterward.
Rantanen, an indispensable cog for the Avs, has 40 goals and 62 assists in 77 games this season, reaching the 100-point mark for the second straight year. He also owns 87 points in 70 career postseason contests.
Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner is expected to return to the lineup Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens, TSN's Mark Masters reports.
"Excited," Marner said. "Just want to get back, get back in the rhythm of things, and try and contribute to help our team win games."
Marner has been sidelined since March 7 with an ankle injury, missing 12 games.
The 2022-23 Selke Trophy finalist skated on the club's second line alongside captain John Tavares during Friday's practice, according to Masters. The Leafs notably had Marner, Auston Matthews, and William Nylander on three different lines.
LW
C
RW
Tyler Bertuzzi
Auston Matthews
Max Domi
Bobby McMann
John Tavares
Mitch Marner
Matthew Knies
Pontus Holmberg
William Nylander
Connor Dewar
David Kampf
Ryan Reaves
Marner also rejoined the top power-play unit alongside Matthews, Nylander,Tavares, and Morgan Rielly.
Marner has 25 goals and 51 assists in 62 games this season. He ranks third on the team in points and leads all Leafs forwards in average time on ice (21:20).
