McDavid Has Taken Over The Final

With the Edmonton Oilers having their backs to the wall, they needed their stars to bail them out and make the series competitive. For the last two games, the best player in the world has done that. 

Connor McDavid has been unstoppable. He scored a goal and three assists in the 8-1 Game Four stomping while scoring two goals and two assists in Game Five to bring the Oilers back into this series. The Florida Panthers had a 3-0 series lead but now the series is 3-2.  

A reverse sweep is still a tall task. It’s only happened four times in NHL history and only once in the Final (in 1942). Yet, the Oilers are heading back to Edmonton with all the momentum, and with McDavid playing the way he has lately, it’s hard seeing them losing.

McDavid is Finally Taking Advantage of Open Ice

The big difference from early on in the series until lately has been the ability to make an impact in space. McDavid is using his speed to dictate the games and more importantly, set up the offense. 

The Panthers have a great defense and one that can shut down anyone. Aleksander Barkov most notably centers the top line and limits opponents from creating offense in the middle of the ice. The Panthers are struggling to keep up with McDavid who is both searching for the open ice and then gashing the opposition. 

McDavid is taking advantage of the open ice and it’s set up everything else. Notably, it’s allowed him to both create scoring chances and find the back of the net himself to allow the Oilers to take off offensively.

McDavid’s Shooting The Puck on the Net

In the first three games of the series, McDavid was creating scoring chances but not finding the back of the net. He had three assists but by his standards, it was an underwhelming start to the series.  

Then McDavid started to aggressively attack Bobrovsky. Along with firing the puck on the net, he’s picking his spots and sniping the puck past a goaltender who has otherwise been incredible. 

Back-to-back four-point performances for Connor McDavid!

Talk about clutch. #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/AeCNQ3IIUS

— NHL (@NHL) June 19, 2024

The result is that he’s been scoring goals. He has a few in this series. On top of that, he’s tougher for the Panthers to stop as they must respect his shot and it opens up the ice for the other skaters to find open looks on the net.

Oilers Getting Boosts Elsewhere

McDavid is the hero of the series with his great play being taken to the next level. He scored five goals and 26 assists in the first three rounds and through five games in the Final, he has three goals and eight assists. He’s just one of the many players who have stepped up. 

Evan Bouchard has made an impact on both ends of the ice and his five assists have opened up the offense at the blue line. Zach Hyman and Dylan Holloway have started to find the back of the net with three goals in this series. Stuart Skinner is making big saves and has stopped 61 of the last 65 shots he’s faced.  

This series has flipped because of the entire roster stepping up. A win in Game Six will suddenly have the Oilers one win away from the impossible, a reverse sweep in the Final.

Unfinished Business for McDavid

This series in a lot of ways encapsulates McDavid’s career. All the accolades and great performances are there except for the Stanley Cup title. And that’s the only thing that matters.

McDavid can win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs and his Game Five performance all but sealed him as the winner of the award. It won’t matter without the Cup at the end of the day. McDavid knows that and it will be reflected in his play in the next two games.