menu_open Columnists
We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

Oilers still waiting for McDavid to put stamp on series with Ducks

40 0
23.04.2026

EDMONTON — There is a weird fascination in watching Connor McDavid struggle like this.

Like spotting a lynx in the wild, or watching your golf partner bag a hole-in-one, there are some things you only see once in a lifetime. This level of struggle from that level of player — in the playoffs, no less — is as unique as it gets.

Not enjoyable, nor do we expect it to last. But man, for two games of these playoffs, McDavid’s game has abandoned him in shocking fashion.

“I think he’s putting a lot of pressure on himself,” assessed head coach Kris Knoblauch, after a 6-4 loss to the Anaheim Ducks in which McDavid was an abysmal minus-two. “He wants the team to do well. He’s a leader and usually when we have success, he’s a big part of that.

“There’ve been stretches during the season that he hasn’t been the best player, nights where he hasn’t been outstanding. That doesn’t happen very often and I’m certain that he’s going to find his game.”

A 1-1 series heading down to Anaheim for Game 3? We’ve seen a ton of that in Edmonton over the years.

But a series shifting before McDavid notched his first point of the playoffs? That’s like getting a Spanish doubloon mixed in with your change at the car wash.

Is it his game that gets the blame? Or should the Ducks get........

© Sportsnet