McJesus Went from Zero to Hero in a Hurry
In last week’s newsletter, I mentioned how stellar Panthers’ goalie Sergei Bobrovsky was through the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final. He allowed just one goal in the first two games, leading the Panthers to a 2-0 series lead. The Panthers also won Game 3 and looked poised to sweep the series.
Meanwhile, Oilers captain Connor McDavid was all but absent, scoring one assist in Game 2 and two assists in Game 3 in two losing efforts.
Then McDavid woke up. McDavid scored one goal and assisted on three others as the Oilers trounced the Panthers 8-1 in Game 4.
McDavid then scored two goals and added two assists as the Oilers beat the Panthers 5-3 in Game 5.
That’s eight points in two games, to go along with his three prior assists this series. Overall, McDavid has accumulated 42 points in 23 games during these playoffs.
If McDavid can score six more points over the next two games, he will eclipse Wayne Gretzky’s records for points in a single postseason, when The Great One scored 47 points in 18 playoff games in 1985, en route to a Stanley Cup Championship.
Looking at how McDavid is playing now, there is no reason why he won’t score that many points. In fact, if the Oilers are going to win the series, McDavid will need to do that and more.
As I stated in the June 5 newsletter, great players like McDavid win the Stanley Cup because they make it happen. All-time greats somehow rise to an even higher level when the stakes get higher. And there are no higher stakes than facing elimination in a championship series.
The Oilers seemed to have figured out how to beat Bobrovsky, the series returns to Edmonton for Game 6, the Oilers now have a fighting chance to come back and win the series – and McDavid has found a way to not only raise his game but take over control of the game.
Considering that the Oilers got off to a lousy 2-9-1 start this season and changed coaches, the team winning the Stanley Cup – with McDavid as MVP, of course – would make for an amazing end to this story.
Note: This article is an updated version of an editorial that originally appeared in Volume 2 – Issue 25 of the Puck Junk Newsletter. For stories like these, plus news and updates about hockey cards and collectibles, subscribe to the newsletter here.
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