The Edmonton Oilers will be without suspended superstar Connor McDavid when they host the struggling Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night in the second game between the Pacific Division rivals in less than a week.

The Vancouver Canucks are a team imploding from the inside out with locker room drama, and now reports are surfacing that Thatcher Demko ... by the Oilers without Connor McDavid.

Demko will defend the visiting cage in Edmonton on Thursday, according to Mark Spector of Sportsnet.

Things were testy to start, with the Oilers looking to avenge the loss of their Captain following Conor Garland’s malicious attack on Connor McDavid ... testing Thatcher Demko with a heater ...

Thank you, and so long Vancouver Canucks. On Thursday evening, the Edmonton Oilers hosted their Pacific Division rivals in the final matchup between the two teams this season.

Zach Hyman scored two goals and had an assist and Leon Draisaitl had a goal and two assists as the Edmonton Oilers rolled over the visiting Vancouver Canucks 6-2 on Thursday.

Last night, the Vancouver Canucks held the Oilers to just 15 shots in a 3-2 win. It was a surprisingly strong game for two reasons. First, the Canucks – save for a recent 3-0 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on the road – had been playing poorly.

Things were testy to start, with the Oilers looking to avenge the loss of their Captain following Conor Garland’s malicious attack on Connor McDavid’s stick with the side of his face.

Nathan MacKinnon leads the league in scoring. Draisaitl only trails him by a single point. There is plenty of season left to be played, but as long as the Oilers have Draisaitl, they'll be fine. Draisaitl will be able to hold down the fort until the captain returns.

Leon Draisaitl & Zach Hyman record three points apiece on Thursday as the Oilers earn retribution against their Pacific Division rivals with a 6-2 victory over the Canucks at Rogers Place

Zach Hyman had two goals and an assist, Leon Draisaitl had a goal and two assists and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Vancouver Canucks 6-2 on Thursday night. Adam Henrique, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kasperi Kapanen also scored for the Oilers,

For the only time this season, the Vancouver Canucks travelled to Edmonton for a one-and-done trip against the Oilers at Rogers Place. These two teams met just five days ago in Vancouver in which the Canucks came away with a 3-2 victory,