Connor McDavid unequivocally reminded everyone who thought the Edmonton Oilers were dead and buried that no one in the locker room gave up, quite the opposite.
After three consecutive disappointing losses to begin a four-game series abroad, the star player’s team completed its journey by defeating the Washington Capitals 5-0 on Friday. Two days later, they highlighted their return home by humiliating the Anaheim Ducks 8-2. These are very encouraging results for a club that has faced heavy criticism this season and is trying to climb the rankings; Edmonton sits in seventh place in the National Hockey League’s Pacific Division with a record of 7-12-1.
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The replacement of head coach Jay Woodcroft by Kris Knoblauch is starting to bear fruit and number 97 clearly shows the overall progress. In his two most recent duels, the captain collected nine points, including eight assists. If his team looks more like the group observers expected to be gunning for major honors before the campaign began, McDavid shows why there are five Art Ross Trophies, three Harts and a Maurice Richard Trophy in his living room.
“Certainly confidence is a big part of it,” he admitted after collecting a goal and four assists on Sunday, Sportsnet reported. Our entire team is playing better and that explains the success the boys are starting to have. It’s not just a few people who can press the power button: it takes everyone. […] The players make the plays and the puck goes into the net.”
The work continues
However, the man who has collected 25 points in 18 games this year is keeping a cool head.
“We still have a long way to go. We take it one day at a time. When I look at last season, we were 10-10 after 20 games. We are five points away from this record. It’s not ideal, but we’re by no means eliminated,” he said.
For his part, Knoblauch is keeping his fingers crossed that the awakening will be the harbinger of a long streak of success, both for his squad and for McDavid.
“I’m not sure what unlocked this. However, he was an elite player who would find a way to solve the problem,” he said.
The Oilers host the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday on TVA Sports.