"Such a softie": NHL twitter roasts Connor McDavid for brief exit from game after enduring a huge open ice hit

By ARJUN B

Modified Jun 10, 2025 02:50 GMT

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NHL Twitter lit up with criticism after Oilers captain Connor McDavid briefly left the game against the Florida Panthers following a big open-ice hit.

In the second period of Game 3, Connor McDavid was skating through the neutral zone with the puck when he took a hit from Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad. The hit sent McDavid down the ice, and he went to the Oilers' locker room.

Connor McDavid was back on the bench not long after, sparking a flurry of sarcastic reactions on social media.

"First time getting hit then runs to the locker room such a softie," quipped one fan.

Another fan wrote,

"So embarrassed he left the game"

Here are some fan reactions:

"when was the last time McDavid skated into a check like that. wow" one fan wrote.

"Surprised they didn’t give a penalty to Sam Bennett after this" another fan wrote.

"That’s the way to do it, he’s hard to hit but when you get him clean he feels it." a user commented.

"McDonald's has no idea how to take a hit it's so rare, this looks like Looney Tunes haha" another user wrote.

The Oilers lost 6-1 against the Panthers. Corey Perry scored for the Oilers, while Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Reinhart, Evan Rodrigues, and Aaron Ekblad added goals for Florida.

Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside 32 shots. Stuart Skinner allowed five goals and was replaced by Calvin Pickard in the third. He made seven saves in relief.

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Connor McDavid's take on the Oilers' 6-1 loss against the Panthers

The Edmonton Oilers racked up 21 penalties for 85 minutes, while the Panthers had 55. Florida scored three power-play goals, compared to Edmonton’s one in six chances. Edmonton racked up four penalties in the opening period—three in the offensive zone and another for having too many men on the ice.

Connor McDavid voiced his frustration with the team's performance, especially the parade to the penalty box that allowed Florida to capitalize on the power play.

“It was a weird game, you know, obviously when you start in the first with four penalties, almost half the period you’re killing, so not a good way to get into your game,” McDavid said. (0:12) "Obviously, it wasn't our best, not our best at all. I don't think our best has shown up all series long."

The Oilers are down 2-1 in the best-of-seven series, with Game 4 scheduled for Thursday.