EDMANTON – Connor McDavid is conducting a master class on performance after the season and this raises Edmonton Oilers to greater heights.
Take, for example, McDavid’s game in Game 2 of the Edmonton Playoffs in the second round of the Stanley Cup against the Calgary Flames. The Oilers were 3-1 behind after conceding a goal and McDavid had just scored the next goal for Leon Dreiseitl, who was also called up.
Disappointing? Not for McDavid. Shortly afterwards, the Edmonton captain took control and hung over Calgary’s defense to score against Jacob Markstrom.
Edmonton’s bench exploded. Oilers are back in business. And Calgary would not score again, as Edmonton won 5-3 and even the best series of seven at 1-1.
McDavid had nothing to say about his goal – “I’m just happy to contribute,” he said afterwards – but it wasn’t a mistake to influence him, or what McDavid has in these playoffs.
And if McDavid won’t talk about his game, there are a lot of people around him who want to relax.
“The way this guy is playing right now is special,” said Oilers interim coach Jay Woodcroft. “He leads our team forward. Connor is the best hockey player in the world. He is willing to pay a price to win. It is a quest for victory. It has an effect on everyone in our organization with this desire to take the game to the next level. “
“I think he’s going beyond his own limits, right?” And that’s what special players do, “added striker Zack Hyman. “He has taken his game to another level and that is already difficult to do. But he leads our team in every aspect. He does everything. He is a great reason for us to be here.”
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“Here” for Oilers is already leading its series with Calgary 2-1 after a 4-1 failure in match 3 on Sunday. McDavid scored three points in the game, ahead of two of Evander Kane’s three goals and another of Hyman. But McDavid’s dominance goes beyond protocol.
It can also enter your head.
“We let one man beat us a few nights,” Flames striker Matthew Tkachuk said after Sunday’s loss. “Go back to the drawing board and think of a way to stop it. To a large extent, they have one player who plays half of the game and is currently playing great hockey, and we need to find a way to stop that. “
Given the layers in McDavid’s contribution lately, it would be like stopping a freight train:
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He can effortlessly attack the offensive zone with incomparable speed.
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He can perform under pressure to keep the game alive.
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He fights in defense to create an attack.
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He was physically engaged, throwing Edmonton’s second-highest-scoring (12) goal in this series of battles for Alberta, and winning the third-highest number (33) in 10 playoff games.
The list goes on and on. McDavid has sharpened since the Oilers opened the series in the first round against the Los Angeles Kings, hitting a brick wall that was Jonathan Quick until he led Edmonton to a seven-game win.
McDavid is the leader in the NHL’s post-season season in points (23) as well as in the regular season (123). He is again a finalist for the Hart Trophy this season. But it is not these confessions that distinguish him. And that’s not why Woodcroft put his superstar on the ice when Edmonton defended a critical lead under duress, as he was late in Game 2.
“What I saw was a leader who, when the game was online, was prepared to be on the firing line,” Woodcroft said. “When the goalkeeper was pulled out and we took a penalty, he was there for a reason. He put his body on the line to win. And this type of self-sacrifice is necessary to win this time of year. “
The McDavid effect in numbers
One look at McDavid and he passed an eye test. His post-season statistics outline an even bigger story.
In Sunday’s match 3, McDavid became the first player in the history of the Stanley Cup playoffs with nine races with many points in his first 10 matches.
What was special was the meaningless night in Game 4 against LA (exclusion for Quick). Since then, McDavid has scored multiple points in six consecutive races, marking the longest series since Evgeni Malkin achieved the same record in 2009 (and eventually won Conn Smythe when Pittsburgh lifted the Cup). Only Wayne Gretzky (a series of eight games in 1983), Tony Curry (seven in 1981) and Daryl Sitler (seven in 1977) did better.
McDavid’s 23 points were tied (with Rick Middleton of Boston in 1983) in fourth place in the first 10 playoffs, just behind Wayne Gretzky (29 in 1983 and 25 in 1985) and Mario Lemieux (25 in 1992).
That said, McDavid created brilliant individual numbers while skating with other top talents in Draisaitl and Kane. However, his figures are only one part of the puzzle.
Watching Connor McDavid fight multiple defenders is not uncommon. Curtis Como / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
“[What] That shows, “Oilers goalkeeper Mike Smith said,” is that when your best players play the best hockey of their career in the playoffs, your team has a really good chance of winning. “
And how.
According to Stathletes, the Oilers generated 34 chances (11.3 per game) against the Flames when McDavid is on the ice. Without him, Edmonton created only 17 goal positions (5.7 per game) and conceded 42 goals against (14.0 per game).
He also leads all skaters in this series in expected goals in 60 minutes (5.52). Draisaitl is second with 5.18. Kane is third with 3.82.
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In the first 10 playoffs of the Oilers, Edmonton overtook his opponents 102-47 with McDavid on the ice, for the amazing difference of +55. By comparison, the Oilers have 62 chances to score without McDavid on the ice and have conceded 101 chances to score.
As a team, Edmonton have scored 28 goals in 5-on-5 in the postseason; McDavid was there for 17 (or 60.7%) of them.
With McDavid in the mix, the Oilers have given up just 169 strike attempts (16.9 per game) in those playoffs, compared to 376 (37.6 per game) when McDavid is on the bench.
This is an amazing reflection of McDavid’s overall game and represents the sheer number of ways he makes Edmonton better. He is already widely recognized as the best player in the NHL, but McDavid has not stopped rediscovering, tuning and improving. It is this commitment to perfection that impresses teammates the most.
“He continues to take another step every year in every important situation and take his game to the next level,” said Oilers striker Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. “I think in this playoff he hits physical boys, he uses his body to defend the puck and get in the front check. We see this as a band and obviously he does the games at every opportunity [that are] accessible and creates something out of nothing in so many situations. But for our group, when he’s your captain and he does [other stuff]you want to follow this and you want to follow his example. “
“Moving to be the best in the world”
Every time McDavid touches the puck in Game 3, Rogers Place roars. Songs for “MVP” regularly reigned from the thousands of T-shirts bearing his name.
When McDavid struck with open ice against Flames Tkachuk in the first period, a shout of applause. When McDavid’s speed interfered with Calgary’s Trevor Lewis, his ears snapped.
This is the power that McDavid possesses. No words needed.
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“Do I think it’s special what Connor is doing?” Woodcroft asked. “You don’t need me to tell you that.”
McDavid will also not give much idea of his achievements. All his best talking is on the ice.
In this regard, what else can be said? McDavid is more than a game change. He is the destroyer of the series. And he opened wide for Edmonton as he headed into Game 4 on Tuesday (9:30 ET, ESPN) with a chance to put Calgary on the brink of elimination.
Which would be just another day at the McDavid office.
“Every aspect of Connor for a professional hockey player is business-oriented,” Woodcroft said. “He aims to be the best in the world. He is driven to make small profits on a day-to-day basis. In times of crisis or unfavorable moments in games, what you see is someone who still maintains his character. In his game you see a rise or a desire to do a little more. And I think this type of effort and leadership is contagious. And I think it resonates with our players. “
With two more wins against Edmonton’s rivals in the countryside, he will make it on an even bigger stage.
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