Connor McDavid Under Fire For Sneaky Elbow on Marcus Johanssen
Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Marcus Johansson left early on Wednesday after an elbow from Connor McDavid
  • The Oilers star could get a suspension for injuring the Wild forward
  • Read below for the full story and video of the incident

The Edmonton Oilers walked away with a 5-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday night, but Connor McDavid faced criticism for a specific play in the second period.

The superstar caught Wild forward Marcus Johansson with a dirty elbow which drew blood and forced Johansson to exit the contest early due to what the team called an upper-body injury:

While McDavid clearly elbowed him, some fans also criticized Johanssen for selling the injury. Regardless, there is a chance that McDavid will be fined and even receive a one-game suspension. He did blatantly elbow Johanssen. There was no penalty on the play.

The Wild have already dealt with a boatload of injuries this season. Kirill Kaprizov, Brock Faber, and Jakub Lauko are all sidelined but did participate in the morning skate on Wednesday. Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin are further behind in their injury recovery.

Postgame, Wild defenceman Jake Middleton was furious with the no-call on the elbow from Connor McDavid on Johansson, claiming that if it happened to Marcus Foligno or Ryan Hartman, there would probably be a scrap.

Via Michael Russo:

The Oilers scored two unanswered goals in the third, with McDavid netting his second of the night. Johansson had just under 11 minutes of ice time before departing. The 34-year-old has played in 43 games in 2024-25, scoring five goals and tallying 11 assists.

Edmonton improved to 28-13-3 with the win, while the Wild now sit at 27-14-4. Both teams sit in second place in their respective divisions.

We’ll see if the NHL decides to punish the best player in the world. A fine at the very least does seem likely.