Where are McDavid and Draisaitl when it matters?

[ThisIsMyAlibi]

Mcdavid has 18 points in 19 career playoff games.
Crosby has playoff RUNS of

31 in 24
27 in 20
27 in 24
21 in 12
19 in 13

This discussion about he is better bla bla is going no where until he does something. He's 24 years old now. Let's go.....

Playoff Crosby was just another animal entirely. Incredible.

 

[Lolonegoal]

No, but it’s been a disappointing start regardless. Climbing out of a 2-0 hole against an underrated team like Winnipeg is going to take a colossal effort.

Underrated or not they had like a 9 game losing streak shortly before entering the playoffs. Just an embarrassing performance from Edmonton yet again.

 

[apollo18]

unpopular opinion. mcdavid is getting shutdown because wpg has clogged the neutral zone and basically have two members on him at one time. this was drai's time to shine and hes just proving hes not a top 2 player in the nhl.
he for sure is a top 10 player to top 15 but racking points playing with mcdavid or on the oilers 2nd line doesnt make u a top 2 player

 

[Video Nasty]

Underrated or not they had like a 9 game losing streak shortly before entering the playoffs. Just an embarrassing performance from Edmonton yet again.

For sure. I believe the Oilers beat them 6 times in a row on their schedule and 3 times resoundingly down the stretch.

They’re putting the shots on net, but Hellebuyck is stonewalling them and playing like the Vezina caliber goalie he is.

That being said, I’ll be shocked if McDavid and Drai put up goose eggs for 3 games in a row and fall behind 3-0.

 

[sepHF]

McDavid has TWO even strength points in his last FIFTEEN playoff games.

enough said

 

[TooManyHumans]

I disagree that is what the fans want. I am sure they rather see a fast clean game with tons of skill. The NHL is just run by neanderthals. NFL and NBA made a rules to enhance offensive production and protect it star players. NHL does the opposite.

And the 15 penalties would happen only at first. If the officials actually routinely enforced the rules the players would adapt quickly to it.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

unpopular opinion. mcdavid is getting shutdown because wpg has clogged the neutral zone and basically have two members on him at one time. this was drai's time to shine and hes just proving hes not a top 2 player in the nhl.
he for sure is a top 10 player to top 15 but racking points playing with mcdavid or on the oilers 2nd line doesnt make u a top 2 player

The results have been less about McDrai and more about Edmonton's lack of offensive depth. That said, let's not act like the Jets' stars are doing much either. I mean, these games have basically been 2-1 and 1-0. No one is shining except the goalies and perhaps the Jets' defensive scheme.

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

How about we watch the series to the finish before making these type of threads?

For all i know they both put up 3 points in the next game.

 

[pcruz]

According to Oiler fans, Draisaitl is the 2nd best player in the league and Nurse a Norris level defender.. that isn't enough help for a generational player?

You forgot that Klefbom is a top 2 defenseman and RNH is a great 2 way player!

Also, Yama and Pulja have taken immense strides forward this year.

It's apparently a deep team.

And simultaneously

A 2 man team.

Incredible.

 

[ryerockarola]

I can't really hate on Connor/Leon for their team being down 2-0. Smith has done his part, but otherwise there are 10 other forwards and 6 defencemen that are paid to produce as well.

And this all may be a moot point if they come back to Edmonton and take the next two. So kind of early to be labeling anyone as chokers, but no doubt they will be facing some harsh criticism, at least some of it justified, if the Oilers don't turn this series around.

After losing the 1st two home games if the Oilers take the next two in Edmonton they'd have won the series in 7, that's turning the series around

 

[Ondrej The Giant]

The results have been less about McDrai and more about Edmonton's lack of offensive depth. That said, let's not act like the Jets' stars are doing much either. I mean, these games have basically been 2-1 and 1-0. No one is shining except the goalies and perhaps the Jets' defensive scheme.

I believe the Jets' gameplan is to defensively smother the McDrai combo and let their depth do the rest. It's working so far. No value for a high scoring run and gun style. It was proven unsuccessful in the regular season against Edmonton.

 

[Beukeboom]

It's crazy that McDavid scores two points or more in every regular season game against Winnipeg but can't score against them in the playoffs.

I heard a 56game regular season against the same six teams, where half knew early on they'll miss the playoffs and the other half knew they'll make it regardless, made him equal to Wayne and Mario, so color me surprised...

 

[pcruz]

If they get swept here and don’t really produce, it will be fair label them chokers.

who would have thought that Jets - Habs could be a thing.

Habs barely won a game where they had 2 scoring chances, and the Leafs had their captain stretched off the ice after a horrific accident.

At no point did the Habs look dangerous - about on par with the Leafs power play efficiency the last 33 games.

 

[OvieGreat8]

It was enough having them to dominate the joke season but now excuses fly that they don't have support.
You know they almost won the most games in the league right.

 

[TooManyHumans]

I heard a 56game regular season against the same six teams, where half knew early on they'll miss the playoffs and the other half knew they'll make it regardless, made him equal to Wayne and Mario, so color me surprised...

That was a ridiculous overreaction but so is people calling them chokers now. We could at least wait until they actually lose the series.

 

[Nemesis Prime]

This thread some low quality bait

 

[ZenOil]

Love Mcdavid, but so far he hasn't shown he's built for the playoffs. Crosby might be smaller but his lower body is so strong that he can excell in the dirty areas and keep cycles going. Mcdavid depends on open ice. He may have to bulk up and sacrifice some speed to be more effective come playoffs.....this Oilers team in general doesn't seem hard to play against.

 

[66871]

No he's not a choker. If he hasn't made it out of the second round by the time he's thirty years old, ask again.

 

[DrewGl]

McDavid is amazing. Takes a team effort to win the cup. Hopefully he does it one day. Took the guy in my avatar 13 years I think to get one and he was always shit on. Takes time.

 

[ZenOil]

You forgot that Klefbom is a top 2 defenseman and RNH is a great 2 way player!

Also, Yama and Pulja have taken immense strides forward this year.

It's apparently a deep team.

And simultaneously

A 2 man team.

Incredible.

Most Oilers fans don't think these things

 

[CycloneSweep]

Stanley Cups are not won by depth. They’re won by star players who actually perform. The Oilers are perfectly capable of winning a Cup IF McDavid and Draisaitl perform.

McDavid performed in the playins and we lost. You need both.

 

[CrosbyMalkin]

And the 15 penalties would happen only at first. If the officials actually routinely enforced the rules the players would adapt quickly to it.

That is for sure. I have a very mean cross face I would use when wrestling. When an official called me on it and added a point to my opponent I didn't do it that hard afterwards. Players in the NHL are like my students. They know who they can go crazy with and misbehave and who they have to behave for. If the officials called the game consistently the players would cut the crap.

I think as long as the league is run by the stone age people in Toronto the game will never reach the level of other professional sports. Those leagues promote speed, skill, and offense and the NHL you can still do a ton of unsportsmanlike behavior that would get you kicked out of any game in those other major sports.

Even in the high flying 80's and early 90's when scoring was at its peak you still had to have a hired thug to protect your star players. The NHL has always been the worst officiated league by a large margin. I have seen elementary leagues officiated better.

Again, I love physical sports and my best sports all had a ton of contact. The difference is it was a well officiated situation. From the Elementary level all the way D1 college I never wrestled a match that allowed the crap the NHL does. I had only 1 wrestler take a swing at me and that was in elementary school and he was grabbed by the official before he ever connected and both coaches ran out on the match and got between us. You take a swing at someone in highschool or college in wrestling you would be off the team.

Why the NHL can't just let the game be played with speed, skill, and physical within the rule play is beyond me. You don't need that crap to make the game exciting. So many of my friends don't watch hockey because of that stuff. They say if I want to watch a bunch of guys fighting all watch MMA. Sadly that is the perspective many people have of the NHL. If anyone causally turned the TV on and saw game 3 of the Pens Islanders 3rd period I could see why. Funny how NHL fans even on the Pens praised that crap. Don't get me wrong the drama and offensive goals made it exciting but that 10 players in the box crap is embarrassing for the game. The officials let that game get out of hand because they let way to much crap go both before and after the whistle.

 

[Skate2Stick]

Not excusing mcdavid but look at Gretzky, only ever won cups with an all star team built around him. Never did anything when he left.

 

[Beau Knows]

He's still almost a point per game in his playoff career. Obviously that doesn't match the gaudy totals he's been putting up the last few seasons, but he'll get there. He still hasn't actually played all that many playoff games, so he's probably still got a few things to learn/adjust to - it really is a different game in the playoffs.

 

[DannyGallivan]

McDavid is amazing. Takes a team effort to win the cup. Hopefully he does it one day. Took the guy in my avatar 13 years I think to get one and he was always shit on. Takes time.

Orr, Howe, Crosby, Lemieux, even Gretzky all suffered playoff defeats while still in their primes. But they all won multiple Cups anyways. As you say, this is a team game and depth + talent+ strategy will trump one or two generational talents. McDavid will get his Cup(s), just not this year.

No other team in the NHL has even one player as good as McDavid. Arguably, the same can be said about Draisaitl (although MacKinnon would give him a run for his money). But when you go up and down the line-up, the Jets are the better team. The series isn't over yet, but instead of blaming McDavid, credit should be given to the way the Jets have played. And unlike the Sportsnet pouters, non-calls have gone both ways (this isn't directed at your post, but in so many other posts in other threads as well... oh, and at Cassie Campbell and Ron Maclean).