EDMONTON -- Connor McDavid could return to the Edmonton Oilers lineup against the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center on Sunday (10 p.m. ET; FS-W, SNW, NHL.TV).
The center has missed six games with a left quad injury, sustained falling into the end boards during the second period of a 2-1 win against the Nashville Predators on Feb. 8. McDavid finished the game but has not played since.
"We'll see. I've been skating lots and it feels pretty good," McDavid said following practice Saturday. "You just want to be pain free and feel 100 percent or as close to it as possible. I'm definitely working towards that and feeling pretty good."
McDavid, who is tied for fourth in the NHL with 81 points (30 goals, 51 assists) in 55 games, was on the Oilers' first power-play unit in the short practice before they departed to Los Angeles for the first of a three-game road trip. Edmonton plays at the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday and at the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
He rejoined the Oilers on Wednesday after travelling to Toronto to rehab the injury during Edmonton's three-game road trip last week.
When announcing the injury on Feb. 11, Edmonton general manager Ken Holland said McDavid was expected to be out 2-to-3 weeks, and that the injury was unrelated to the knee injury sustained in the regular-season finale last season against the Calgary Flames. Saturday was two weeks since he injured his quad.
"We'll decide that in the morning, but he's anxious to play," coach Dave Tippett said, when asked if McDavid would play Sunday. "Whether he gets the OK from the doctors or not we'll see in the morning.
"You talk to him and he's watched six games now and he's anxious to get back in. He thinks the guys have worked awful hard and he just wants to do his part. For him it's not about individual stuff, it's about getting our team more points in the standings."
The Oilers (32-22-7), who lost 5-3 to the Minnesota Wild on Friday, are 3-2-1 without McDavid. They are second in the Pacific Division, one point behind the Golden Knights and one ahead of the Vancouver Canucks.
"It's never fun to have to watch your team play any game," McDavid said. "Last night was no different, it's obviously frustrating when you feel you're pretty close to playing and you're still sitting out games and you know you could have added something to the game. It's always frustrating, but it is what it is."
Edmonton is without six regulars in its lineup. They are also missing forwards Zack Kassian (suspension), James Neal (foot) and Joakim Nygard (hand); and defensemen Kris Russell (concussion) and Oscar Klefbom (shoulder).
"Obviously he's our leader, and since he's been out, I think we've done a pretty good job of playing hard and being a hard team to play against," center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said of McDavid, the Oilers captain. "But having him back will definitely be a big boost for us."
McDavid did not miss a game with his knee injury, rehabbing during the offseason and returning in time for the season opener. In 2015-16, during his rookie season, McDavid missed 37 games with a broken clavicle after he crashed into the end boards in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 3, 2015.
McDavid said he was not sure how long it would take him to feel 100 percent.
"There is no real answer to that question. Sometimes you come back and you feel great," he said. "I remember coming back from my collarbone I felt great right away. When I came back from my knee in the summer I didn't feel so good early on. It's kind of a moving target and you never know what you're going to feel like until you get out there, and that's why you put in all the work coming back."
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