NHL
Stanley
Cup Final
DALLAS – The Edmonton Oilers were getting caved in, with their three-goal lead down to one and on the verge of evaporating completely as the Dallas Stars made a frenetic push in the second period. Like a sweater with a loose thread, the Oilers seemed as though they could unravel at any moment.
All it took was for the puck to careen to center ice, into the hands of perhaps the fastest and most electrifying player the sport has ever seen, to swing momentum back in the Oilers’ favor.
Advertisement
Enter Connor McDavid. He turned the tide for the Oilers on Thursday by scoring a scintillating goal that stood as the winner in a 6-3 victory to close out the Western Conference final in five games. It was pivotal in helping them eliminate the Stars at this stage for a second straight year and reach another Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers.
“Incredible,” longtime teammate Darnell Nurse said. “The big moments, he always steps up and makes such a difference for our team.
“That was a golden example of a big player making a big play in a big moment.”
It all started with Mattias Ekholm, who returned from a lower-body injury for his playoff debut. His penalty, barely three minutes earlier, led to a Roope Hintz power-play goal that narrowed Edmonton’s lead to 3-2, but then Ekholm blocked a shot from Thomas Harley at the right faceoff dot.
The puck ricocheted to open ice, where McDavid, fresh off the bench, pounced after cutting to the middle at the defensive blue line. McDavid grabbed the puck just as he crossed the red line. With Hintz, Dallas’ top center, charging behind him, McDavid remained composed and unfazed.
McDavid fended off Hintz all the way to goaltender Casey DeSmith – who replaced the pulled Jake Oettinger early in the first period – and made his move. With a deke to the backhand and a cut to the forehand, he pulled Smith out of position, powered past the back pressure and stick work from Hintz, and slid the puck into the open net.
Edmonton 4, Dallas 2. Time of the goal: 14:28 of the second period.
“Connor can do that,” Oilers veteran winger Corey Perry said. “That’s a Connor McDavid kind of play. That’s just the player that he is.”
“He’s not missing that,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “And it’s game over.”
It was a jaw-dropping goal by someone who’s scored so many of them. He makes unbelievable plays when the stakes are at their highest.
And because of that, this goal might have been the best of all. Just ask running mate Leon Draisaitl.
“All things considered, my hockey brain goes to (how) that’s one of the nicest goals I’ve seen him score,” Draisaitl said. “Just the whole situation, how it played out, who he had coming up behind him – that’s big-time play.
Advertisement
“There’s only one player in the world who can do that moment, and we’re very fortunate to have him on our side.”
It’s not like McDavid’s goal singlehandedly won Game 5 for the Oilers. As the Oilers’ captain was quick to point out, the Oilers’ fifth goal was crucial, too. That was credited to Evander Kane at 3:28 of the third when his centering pass deflected in off Esa Lindell. The goal came less than three minutes after Jason Robertson scored his second goal of the game to pull the Stars within one goal for a second time.
But McDavid’s individual effort was something else. It was the best player of his era coming through at the most crucial time.
“That’s why he’s the best player in the world, and we have two of those guys on our team,” Perry said, while also praising Draisaitl, a Hart Trophy candidate. “They want to make a difference. They want to be that guy. And they don’t shy away from it.
“You see it out there. He takes off. They’ve got a push going. They just scored that power-play goal, and he puts it in the back of the net, quiets our bench a little bit and calms everything down.”
McDavid’s goal was his most remarkable play of the game, but it wasn’t his only notable moment.
McDavid set up Perry for a power-play goal 2:31 into the game to opening the scoring. That was his 100th career postseason assist in his 90th game, making him the second-fastest player to reach that mark after Wayne Gretzky (70 games).
With McDavid leading the way, the Oilers improved to 12-4 in the playoffs, with wins in 12 of their last 14 games. They knocked out the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights in five games. Ditto for the Stars, even quicker than in last year’s six-game series.
“That Edmonton team is better than the team we played last year – deeper, defend harder, harder to play against,” DeBoer said.
Advertisement
The Oilers feel that, too. They’ve become more battle-hardened and experienced, the result of playing 12 series in the last four postseasons.
It helps them – and McDavid – come through in the clutch.
“We’ve prepared to be in this position for a long time. These are more normal positions for us now,” McDavid said. “The moment doesn’t feel big. It doesn’t feel anything other than a hockey game.
“That allows you to make your play.”
That play helped the Oilers improve to 10-2 in close-out games with McDavid and Draisaitl. The most recent of those losses came in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. Now they have a chance to make amends for last year.
“We know what they’re about,” Draisaitl said of the Panthers. “We played them seven times. They’re a good team. We’re a really good team as well. It’s nice to get a shot at getting some revenge.”
The rematch starts Wednesday in Edmonton. But the Oilers might instead be preparing to play Dallas in Game 6 at home if McDavid hadn’t scored that amazing goal.
The breakaway deke-out marked his second career series-clinching goal, following the unforgettable overtime marker he netted against the Flames in Game 5 of the 2022 second round.
He also scored a dazzling goal in the clincher against the Stars in last year’s Western Conference final, when he walked around Miro Heiskanen on an Oilers power play for a sensational snipe just four minutes into a 2-1 win.
What he did on Thursday was just more of the same. Safe to say, though, it never gets old.
“There’s just a chance for him to get that puck and go to the net and score that big goal,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “It alleviates some of that pressure at that time.
“I’ve seen Connor do it numerous times – last year in the playoffs and, before I was coaching him, I was watching on TV. It’s really remarkable how him and Leon have really elevated their game at this time.”
(Photo: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
Daniel Nugent-Bowman is a staff writer who covers the Edmonton Oilers for The Athletic. Daniel has written about hockey for Sportsnet, The Hockey News, Yahoo Canada Sports and the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. Follow Daniel on Twitter @DNBsports
