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

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.

After two periods, the Panthers held a commanding 5-1 lead over the Oilers.

Florida got goals from Brad Marchand, Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad while Corey Perry netted the lone tally for Edmonton.