PREVIEW: Oilers at Sharks

The Oilers conclude their regular season at the SAP Center on Wednesday against the Sharks.

You can watch the game live on Sportsnet at 8:30 pm MDT, or listen live on the Oilers Radio Network, including 880 CHED.

Subscribe to Oilers+ to unlock the Pre-Game & Post-Game Shows, along with more exclusive live and behind-the-scenes content, including The Drop documentary series.

PREVIEW: Oilers at Sharks

SAN JOSE, CA – Don’t count this team out.

Not for one second.

Rumours of the Edmonton Oilers’ demise have been greatly exaggerated, says Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who doesn’t appreciate the belief that he & his teammates are limping into the playoffs; or that they’re any less equipped for another deep run like last year's trip to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Make no mistake: the Blue & Orange are ready to rumble.

“Guys are healthier than it may seem,” McDavid said after Tuesday’s optional skate at the Downtown Community Arena before the team jumped on a flight to San Jose to conclude the regular season on Wednesday night.

“I think we kind of have this aura around us that we’re the walking wounded, but we're just fine. Everybody's going to be ready to roll. Everybody is doing whatever they can.”

The Oilers captain expressed a level of confidence when speaking to the media on Tuesday that most of the team’s injured players – a list that includes Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Trent Frederic, Evander Kane, Jake Walman, Troy Stecher and John Klingberg – will be ready to go for Game 1 of their fourth straight meeting with the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the postseason.

There will still be a notable absence in Mattias Ekholm on the back end that'll be felt by the group for at least the first round, but just as the Swedish defenceman is going to do everything in his power to be available at some point during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Oilers are looking forward to rising to the occasion once again and proving to everyone how they know they can that they’re still a serious threat.

“I just don't like that people are counting us out,” McDavid continued. “We're a great team here. We’ve had some bumps and bruises along the way, obviously, but we're a dangerous team when we're rolling, and we're healthy.

“I think you'll see that over the next little while and we’re looking forward to showing that.”

Too quickly people can forget. Time to remind them.

But first, we’ve got one more regular-season game to play in San Jose.

The Oilers and Sharks will finish their respective regular season schedules on Wednesday at the SAP Center, with Edmonton locked into third place in the Pacific and aiming to sweep the season series after securing 3-2 wins in their first two meetings and grabbing a 4-2 victory at Rogers Place last Friday.

McDavid, who was held out of the lineup for Monday’s 5-0 shutout defeat to the Kings as a precaution due to the Oilers playing three games in four nights, isn’t sure if he’ll face the Sharks on Wednesday, but Game 1 of their first-round series in LA either on Sunday or Monday is a 100 percent certainty.

But at this point, he feels well-rested, rejuvenated and ready to be unleashed for the playoffs.

“I've felt personally night and day better from before the injury just in terms of rest and not getting a break there with the Four Nations, which I'm not complaining about at all,” he said. “I'm sure Leon's gonna feel the same way. Everybody's gonna feel the same way, and we'll be ready to roll.”

McDavid played three games and recorded nine assists to reach 99 points this season before he was held out versus Los Angeles after he previously missed eight games recovering from a lower-body injury he sustained in a 4-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Mar. 20.

For him, the allure of playing against San Jose just to try and reach 100 points isn’t as tempting for the 28-year-old as being an extra day rested for Game 1 of Edmonton’s series with LA.

“There is not much difference between 99 and 100,” McDavid said. “No, that’s not something that’s on my mind."

After Edmonton's defeat to Los Angeles on Monday, Head Coach Kris Knoblauch strongly hinted that all three of McDavid, Draisaitl or Hyman are unlikely to play in their regular-season finale against the Sharks.

"We'll re-evaluate," he said post-game. "The game doesn't mean anything, so whether Leon plays, Connor plays or Hyman plays, those are a lot of question marks and it's probably not necessary that they do. I think they're game ready and will be ready for the playoffs, so it's a possibility they play, but I'm not sure what we benefit with them playing."