Star center Connor McDavid is back in Edmonton to be re-evaluated after suffering a lower-body injury in the first minute of the Oilers’ 6-1 road loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday.

McDavid, who crossed the blue line with the puck shortly after winning the first faceoff, fell after a collision with Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski. He slipped into the sideboards then into the corner before getting up under his own power and leaving the ice.

The team subsequently announced that McDavid would not return to the game.

After the contest, Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch acknowledged that McDavid would likely miss at least the final two games of the team’s trip, at Nashville on Thursday and Calgary on Sunday.

“It’s tough any time you play without your best player, but it’s something that hopefully will be short-term,” Knoblauch said. “Obviously our team is going to be different. Maybe it’ll be one or two games.”

McDavid, 27, is a three-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner and seven-time All-Star. He has scored at least 100 points in a season seven times, including 132 points last season (32 goals, 100 assists).

He has three goals and seven assists in 10 games this season.

–REUTERS field media