The Edmonton Oilers are on a roll! Tonight, at Rogers Place, the Oilers beat the Seattle Kraken to climb to the top of the table of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. But the team’s third straight victory wasn’t the only highlight of the night for the fans. Instead, it was the return of the prodigal son Connor McDavid.

B/R Open Ice took to X on January 27 to express livid emotions about the return of the Oilers’ captain Connor McDavid. After serving a three-match ban for his actions against the Vancouver Canucks earlier this month, the ice hockey center was back tonight and picked up where he left off. “Reminder that McDavid is back,” reads the post’s emphatic caption. McDavid scored on his return and helped the Oilers beat the Kraken 4-2. The post’s accompanying video showed the moment McDavid scored to bring the Oilers level with Seattle in the second period.

The fans at the Rogers Place also went haywire after the score, and placards showing “THE CAPTAIN IS BACK,” showed up all over the arena. Connor’s teammates huddled up to celebrate his goal as the commentators could be heard being elated by the scenes of the leader’s return. With the latest victory, Edmonton now boasts seven victories in its last 9 games, underscoring that the captain’s suspension only motivated them to get better.

The Oilers’ social media account also marked the occasion with an emphatic “Three wins in a row,” post on X, highlighting the glee once again. The elation is only accentuated for the fans who remember how the Oilers vs Canucks panned out on Saturday, January 18. During the final moments of the Oilers’ 3-2 loss, Connor McDavid was held down by the opponents in almost MMA style. After realizing that the officials weren’t taking any action, the Edmonton captain took matters into his own hands.

McDavid cross-checked Vancouver’s Conor Garland in the helmet which prompted the officials to hand the former a three-match suspension. As a result, Connor had to watch his teammates in the next three matches on TV, like most Oilers fans. But it seemed like this squad also wanted to make sure their captain didn’t feel like he let them down. On January 23, the Oilers met with the Canucks again, and this time, Edmonton walked out of the match with a decisive 6-2 victory. Just two days later, the team beat the Sabers 3-2. Naturally, Connor was ecstatic. ‘I thought they played well, two wins, that’s always a good thing,” he said about the team’s performance. But he was itching to get back to action as well.

Connor McDavid’s return to his natural habitat wasn’t without its reservations

After spending a week off the ice rink, the Edmonton squad leader sent Monday morning getting back to form. “Antsy to play, excited to get going. It was a long week, just sitting around practising, I’m ready to get going,” McDavid told the media after a skating session in the morning. But coach Kris Knoblauch had his reservations nonetheless. “Collectively, everyone else takes a step back because you’re getting your best player back. It’s important that everyone plays at that high level and doesn’t just take for granted that we are getting Connor back,‘ the coach noted his skepticism before the match.

However, during McDavid’s absence, his teammate Leon Draisaitl pulled the weight with vigilance. In the three matches the captain missed, Draisaitl scored five points. That made Connor gain more trust in the fact that the squad could manage to hold the fort even without him. “We’re a good team, no matter who is in the lineup,” he said with gusto.

What did you think of Connor McDavid’s return? Share your elation in a comment!