The Oilers begin life without Connor McDavid tonight as they host the Chicago Blackhawks. The team announced earlier today that they’ll be without their Captain for the next 2-3 weeks, which means he could miss anywhere from 8-12 games. That’s a gut-punch to a fan base that was just getting ready to watch their team head down the stretch and contend for a division title. How should Dave Tippett need to adjust his lineup? Who needs to step up? I looked into all of that today on the Pre Game Pod.

Their matchup against the Hawks is a pretty good one. In their last ten meetings, the Oilers are 5-4-1 and Chicago has been struggling lately. They don’t have a regulation win in their last five games and have been outshot in three straight. They have been getting good goaltending this season which could be a massive problem for a depleted Oilers forward group. The Oilers though have also been getting some good goaltending lately and tonight they’ll put @Mike Smith, who is 7-0-2 in his last nine starts, between the pipes.