In Photos: Connor McDavid & Leon Draisaitl's partners Lauren, Celeste show up to support Oilers superstars at season opener

Modified Oct 10, 2024 11:00 GMT

Edmonton Oilers superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl’s partners, Lauren Kyle and Celeste Desjardins, were spotted cheering for their team at the Oilers’ season opener at Rogers Place. The Stanley Cup runners-up kicked-off their season with a home game against the Winnipeg Jets.

Both Lauren and Celeste shared photos on their Instagram stories. One of the pictures shared by Lauren Kyle showed the intense atmosphere of the sold-out crowd from the evening, which she captioned with blue and orange hearts.

Celeste shared the opening moments of the evening when the Oilers players entered the rink. In the caption she wrote,

“HOME OPENER”

In another image, Desjardins clicked the championship banners hanging inside Rogers Place. They celebrate the Edmonton Oilers' previous titles, including their NHL Smythe Division titles from 1990-91 and 1991-92 and their Western Conference Championships in 2005-06 and the most recent 2023-24 season.

Cleste also shared a picture of an elegant bar area, possibly from a suite or VIP lounge at Rogers Place.

Connor McDavid and Co. suffer heavy defeat at Rogers Place

Despite the excitement of the season opener, the game ended in a tough 6-0 loss for the Oilers against the Winnipeg Jets. Captain Connor McDavid struggled during the game, failing to register a single shot on goal. Goalie Stuart Skinner also had a rough night, allowing four goals on the first 10 shots and a fifth on the 13th shot before being pulled halfway through the second period.

However, head coach Kris Knoblauch is not ready to be demotivated by the loss. He is sure that his team can bounce back.

“I've been coaching for a while, not here, but I've seen a lot of bad games and seen teams respond, no matter the league," he said. "We got punched pretty good tonight. Last year, we usually responded well after a bad game. We'll see this weekend—after this, it's just one game, but after the weekend, it’ll tell where we’re at."

The head coach praised their third and fourth line’s performance and also singled out Connor Brown for his impressive display on the evening. He admitted that their mistakes ‘led to trouble’ and eventually cost them the game.

When asked why he put Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid together in the second period, Knoblauch explained that he expects them to play together at key moments during the season, be it while chasing a game or starting one.