The Edmonton Oilers are back once again in a familiar position come playoff time with a chance to win Lord Stanley led by captain Connor McDavid. This team has come close, but not yet been able to go the full distance and win it all with McDavid during his 11 year tenure with the organization.
The pressure is on for the Oilers to win as McDavid only has two years left on his current deal after the short term extension he signed prior to the beginning of this season. After losing in consecutive finals, Edmonton will be hoping the third time will be the charm this go around if they can find a way to return to the big dance. They would not have to worry about the Florida Panthers in this year’s edition with the two-time defending champs missing the postseason.
The motivation has never been higher for McDavid in the franchise forward’s journey to win the Stanley Cup in Edmonton. He spoke about what is behind this fire to win with analyst Luke Gazdic on Sportsnet: “Nothing makes me happier than thinking about seeing Nuge with the Cup. Or seeing Leo with the Cup.”
McDavid Wants to Win for His Teammates
McDavid’s words speak of his mentality as a leader. He does not want to win just for himself; he wants to win for the teammates who have been in the ringer with him. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Leon Draisaitl have been with McDavid in Edmonton from the beginning since his 2015-2016 rookie year.
It is not surprising to hear that McDavid wants to win badly for those guys; they have shared the ups and downs of the Oilers performances with him. Draisaitl has been McDavid’s main running mate throughout their time together with the two developing the most dynamic connection in the league. Meanwhile Nugent-Hopkins can relate to McDavid’s experience as a fellow first overall draft pick of Edmonton himself.
If the Oilers were to go all the way, it is likely one of Draisaitl or Nugent-Hopkins would receive the Cup first from McDavid in the victory celebrations. But, there is a long way to go before that moment arrives.
McDavid Needs to Get Going in These Playoffs
Edmonton currently finds itself in a 1-1 series tie with the Anaheim Ducks heading into Game 3 tonight of its first round playoff series. The biggest surprise of the matchup so far is that McDavid has yet to record a point in the series through two games.
One has to think this point-less drought for McDavid won’t last long knowing his postseason history as a top contributor. Nevertheless, Edmonton needs him to get going soon if they want to take this series vs the Ducks. The silver lining for Edmonton is the fact the series is tied so far, despite the lack of production from their top player.
There was some concern that McDavid may miss time due to an apparent injury sustained in Game 2, but it sounds like that should not be the case. This is good news for Edmonton as McDavid has amassed a staggering 44 goals and 106 assists in 98 career playoff games.
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