Connor McDavid goes down with injury, comes back and scores

It was a jarring sight at Rogers Place. McDavid drives an Oilers team that entered the night 11-2-3 and atop the Pacific Division, so any hard landing involving number 97 tends to quiet a building.

This was not the first time Podkolzin has done it. Last season, he picked up 17 penalty minutes for defending McDavid after a New Jersey defenceman delivered a high shot.

Edmonton fans celebrated that response, and the latest one will likely earn the same applause.

The timing adds weight. McDavid leads the NHL with 40 points through 16 games, and the Oilers lean on his production every night.

Podkolzin has settled into the top line beside him and Leon Draisaitl, where his hard forecheck and relentless drives to the net have become part of the group's identity.

Edmonton has reason to be cautious. McDavid played through a foot and ankle injury during last spring's first-round loss to these same Ducks, and it clearly limited him for most of that series. Any awkward tumble now brings that memory flooding back.

Any update on McDavid's condition will come from the Oilers, and fans will be watching closely for it. What is already clear is that Podkolzin has no hesitation about protecting the franchise player when things get physical.

That matters for a team with lofty goals. The Oilers are tied for the league lead in goals per game, and this matchup opened a four-game homestand at Rogers Place.

Protecting their best player while keeping the offence humming is the balance they are chasing, and Podkolzin is helping them strike it.

Expect that edge to matter as the Pacific Division race tightens, and expect opponents to think twice before testing McDavid again, because the response from his linemate is hard to miss.

UPDATE: McDavid has since returned to the game and scored.

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