Yes.Is this guy gonna win the Conn Smythe even if the Oilers lose?
Nah, Barkov and his 21 points or .906 SV% Bob is more deserving according to many in the Smythe thread.Is this guy gonna win the Conn Smythe even if the Oilers lose?
Drai is injured. The year he was on 1 leg he was paired with McDavid to offset his weaknesses with his injury. It allowed him to basically be a stand-still turret. This playoffs he's still being given pretty important defensive assignments and generally is staying away from McDavid. Not to mention, the quality of his wingers hasn't been great vs McDavid. I think this is the right choice, but we aren't seeing the best of Drai right now by any means.We all but crowned Draisaitl as the clutchest playoff player of all time. He was three points up on McDavid on May 20th (after 12 games). Ever since, in 11 games and one period to go, McDavid has 19 points to Draisaitl's 6. What happened? Is Drai injured? We remember well how playing with one leg didn't slow him down one bit a couple years ago, didn't he even break some record in terms of points in a playoff series back then?
In light of this separation this stretch feels somewhat like a McDavid's breakout party even though he was already accomplished as hell.
this is precisely why I think Florida wins the cup. The Oilers firing on all cylinders they can fire on as you said. PK, PP, Skinner, McDavid.Plenty of outs for the Panthers to sneak in one more game. PP finally shows up, Bobrovsky steals another one, maybe Skinner has a bad one, etc.
Oilers are basically all cylinders right now except for Draisaitl and I think he's too banged up to buck that trend unfortunately.
Very likely, and he’ll hate every second of it.Is this guy gonna win the Conn Smythe even if the Oilers lose?
It really is. A fantastic playoff run with or without the cup.It’s objectively one of the greatest playoff performances in history.
To answer your question, Draisaitl broke his finger in G7 vs Vancouver, and also suffered an upper body injury in the series.We all but crowned Draisaitl as the clutchest playoff player of all time. He was three points up on McDavid on May 20th (after 12 games). Ever since, in 11 games and one period to go, McDavid has 19 points to Draisaitl's 6. What happened? Is Drai injured? We remember well how playing with one leg didn't slow him down one bit a couple years ago, didn't he even break some record in terms of points in a playoff series back then?
In light of this separation this stretch feels somewhat like a McDavid's breakout party even though he was already accomplished as hell.
His run his for sure one of the best ever, maybe the best if they win? But hyperbole like this makes it hard to fully stand behind him.doing this in 2024 is f***ing insane. greatest player ever.
I will say though, I don't think the Oilers PP is anywhere near firing on all cylinders yet. It's better than it was early in the series but they were running 50% for a while these playoffs. If it continues to improve that's at least one mark in Edmonton's favor, and could even out any dips in places like Skinner or the PK if they occur.this is precisely why I think Florida wins the cup. The Oilers firing on all cylinders they can fire on as you said. PK, PP, Skinner, McDavid.
The cylinders they are not firing on do not look salvageable - Nurse Kane and Draisaitl.
If florida even gets one of: bobrovsky powerplay or penalty kill going, and all seem feasible right now, that alone paints a reasonable path of victory. And if Oilers stop firing on even one of those cylinders then it’s not far fetched that they could lose. The probabilities just don’t seem in the oilers favour unless McDavid proves he truly is that guy the rest of the way which even for his own standards would be insane. I hope Edmonton wins even though I find their fans a very insecure bunch who seem to constantly just bitch and complain about other teams on their board even while their team is in the finals.
His run his for sure one of the best ever, maybe the best if they win? But hyperbole like this makes it hard to fully stand behind him.
I'd bring the following to the table.
1. Gretzky's record in the playoffs equals 61 (!) points in 23 games.
2. The playoffs are sooo soft compared to back in the days. It has to be easier to be a skilled player now vs then. Just compare to 15 years ago and the playoffs now is like a regular season game.
3. Isn't it time for people to update their takes on scoring now vs then in general? There are roughly the same amount of guys scoring 140 + points this season as any given prime Gretzky year. The difference being Wayne at + 200 points, rather than 135.
So in conclusion: McDavid is cementing himself as one of the best ever for sure. And this run is one of the best. But just like Wayne's run in 92-93 is forgotten and overshadowed by Mario's regular season performance, this might to be so if Connor doesn't win. And the best player ever? No.
1. Scoring in '85 was much higher than nowadays - 2nd best scorer in the playoffs (Coffey) had 37 pts in 18 games, Recchi had 34 pts in 24 games in 1991 (Lemieux).1. Gretzky's record in the playoffs equals 61 (!) points in 23 games.
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3. Isn't it time for people to update their takes on scoring now vs then in general? There are roughly the same amount of guys scoring 140 + points this season as any given prime Gretzky year. The difference being Wayne at + 200 points, rather than 135.
average goals per game :
1985 playoffs - 7.49
2024 playoffs - 5,76
Is this guy gonna win the Conn Smythe even if the Oilers lose?
Probably. Panthers don't have anyone. If it was somehow close then I could see it but it's hard to imagine. Tkachuk, Barkov? It's just not convincing. Meanwhile, McDavid's crushing a Gretzky all-time record, already three assists up. And considering the eras, one could consider this even superior to Lemieux's strongest playoff run.Is this guy gonna win the Conn Smythe even if the Oilers lose?
They're too busy being negative GF% on power play, getting clowned by Connor Brown. Oof.Thought Barkov and Forsling were supposed to slow him down?
They did... for like one or two games.Thought Barkov and Forsling were supposed to slow him down?
That was all BobrovskyThey did... for like one or two games.
Better pure talent than MJ and Gretzky when adjusting for difficulty of modern day sports
Ali and Woods are solo/individual sports so they win/lose on their own and I didnt count them
MJ and Gretzky are still more dominant than Mcdavid, their talent and ability might be similar to his, but we never got to see them play modern/current day defensive schemes vs seeing Mcdavid against that now.
99/23 no doubt, 99% dominate modern day defenses, but Im giving credit to 97 for doing in his time when no one else has been able to do so