Connor McDavid is a special player, but you all know that
And for as amazing as he is, there are some games where he’s held in check, and that’s what happened Friday night in the Edmonton Oilers’ 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
He was held without a single shot on goal or a single point, something that had previously only happened in seven games before since he was drafted 1st overall in the 2015 draft. But in all those previous games, five of which happened in his rookie season, the Oilers lost every single game.
But not in Game 6.
The Oilers were able to win one of the biggest games in franchise history with McDavid a non-factor in its outcome, as least on the scoresheet. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t contributing, however.
With him on the ice at five-on-five, the Oilers outscored the Panthers 1-0, while they controlled 58.62 percent of the shot attempt share, 57.17 percent of the scoring chance share, and 52.91 percent of the expected goal share, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Despite he and his linemates, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman, losing the high-danger scoring chance share 1-3, the Oilers were still able to get it done.
Warren Foegele and the second line opened the scoring 7:27 into the game, while Adam Henrique and the third line scored 46 seconds into the second period. The top line wasn’t held off the scoresheet as a whole, however, as Hyman scored with 1:40 left in the second, assisted by Nugent-Hopkins. Ryan McLeod and Darnell Nurse would add empty netters en route to the win.
It speaks to the depth this Oilers team has right now, and a reason why the Oilers have roared back from a 3-0 series deficit to force a Game 7. It can be seen when you look at how many players in the finals have multiple goals.
Connor McDavid and Ryan McLeod each have three, while Warren Foegele, Zach Hyman, Darnell Nurse, Adam Henrique and Dylan Holloway each have a pair. For the Panthers, Evan Rodrigues has four, while Sasha Barkov and Vladimir Tarasenko each have two.
The most recent time McDavid was held shotless and scoreless was on March 30th, 2021, when the Oilers fell 4-0 to the Montreal Canadiens.
