Connor McDavid fights through tough playoff matchups

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Whenever Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid has stepped on the ice this postseason, he has found himself playing against some of the NHL’s premier matchup defenders.

Against the San Jose Sharks in the first-round, he got a heavy dose of defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic. In Game 1 of the second-round, the Anaheim Ducks had Selke Trophy finalist center Ryan Kesler blanket McDavid.

Though McDavid often draws teams’ best defensive players during the regular season, he didn’t have to fight through the same level of elite two-way talent on a nightly basis like in the playoffs.

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“I think when you’re such a high profile guy like him, maybe the highest, teams are obviously going to key on you,” Oilers forward Jordan Eberle said. “Last series the Vlasic pairing was all over him and this series it seems like Kesler is on him and just taking away space everywhere. Connor’s big asset is obviously through the neutral zone with his speed and when you have a guy standing beside you in that area it’s tough to get away.”

In some respects, this has forced McDavid to change his game and find ways to be effective in the absence of the virtuoso offensive performances he put on during the regular season. In 82 games this year, McDavid led the NHL in scoring with 100 points but in the playoffs he has notched five points in seven games.

“I don’t know how many times I’m going to say it but we’re a deep team,” McDavid said. “We have guys that can step up each and every night. It doesn’t have to be myself or my line or anything like that. It can be anyone on this team. There are obviously different ways to contribute.”

In the first-round McDavid was held to four points and two goals in six games but Edmonton got a strong team performance to beat San Jose.

In Game 1 against the Ducks, McDavid notched one assist and drew a power play but was neutralized for the most part. Despite Anaheim’s ability to successfully slow McDavid, several other Oilers made them pay when they got open ice, which enabled Edmonton to win 5-3.

McDavid’s linemate Leon Draisaitl notched four points. Forward Mark Letestu scored two goals and defenseman Adam Larsson scored two goals and added an assist.

“I think on the road, obviously they get the last change so they’re going to get what they want. But when you’re winning games and you got a guy like Adam Larsson who is scoring two goals and Mark Letestu who has a couple and guys contributing each night, that’s the sign of a good team,” Eberle said. “That’s how you win. Obviously Connor on a majority of the nights is going to be driving it but on nights when he’s getting checked that tightly you need other guys to step up so obviously last night was a perfect example of Larsson and other guys stepping up.”

McDavid has now played enough hockey this postseason to understand that he can’t just fly through the center of the ice to create chances like he did in the regular season. Instead he has started to goad other teams to his side of the ice to create openings on the other side. His teammates have seen this shift in his game and have praised how quickly McDavid has learned to create space in a different way.

“They key on him quite specifically through the neutral zone and stuff so a lot of the time he just tries to create space for the other guys by kind of causing a little bit of chaos on one side and then that opens up another side,” Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said. “He’s learning that pretty quick and obviously still does a good job of when he has a chance to get open and find that open space for himself too.”

Edmonton’s ability to win when McDavid isn’t scoring at his usual torrid pace is one of the Oilers’ best developments in these playoffs and makes them a more dangerous team than originally expected.

“I think we’re not just playing against McDavid. We’re playing against a team,” Ducks forward Andrew Cogliano said. “I think we limited his ice-time. I’m sure he was a little frustrated but they beat us and that’s what a good team does. A good team finds ways to win when your top guys aren’t going or don’t have the success in the game and they did that.”

The way the Oilers won, despite the Ducks’ watchful eye on McDavid, could create a conundrum for Anaheim. The Ducks put Kesler’s line on McDavid for most of the game and saw that trio’s offense struggle as it expended energy to stop the Oilers’ captain. Then they scored a goal in the third period when they were not matched up against McDavid.

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Does this mean the Ducks should try to get Kesler’s line away from McDavid in order to generate more scoring? And if Anaheim decides to do this, will a matchup change free up McDavid to find his offensive range?

No matter what the Ducks decide, the Oilers know that simply having McDavid gives them an advantage other teams lack, even if he’s not hitting prolific numbers.

“There’s two sides to it for sure. When you’re that focused on killing a guy’s momentum and checking him a lot of times offense gets put out of the window,” Eberle said. “That’s one less line we have to worry about. Connor is that dangerous of a player that he has that impact.”

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