It isn’t often that Connor McDavid lets his emotions get the best of him, but every once in a while we see a fiery side from the Edmonton Oilers captain that reminds everybody just how badly he wants to win. Whether it be during the Stanley Cup Final, or game 19 of the regular season, he expects the best from himself and his teammates.
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Oilers fans saw that side of him in Amazon’s Faceoff documentary that was released this summer, where he was caught laying into his teammates following a Game 2 loss to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final. Two nights ago, they were treated to more frustration from the 27-year-old, albeit on a much lesser scale.
Oilers Struggling Offensively
The Oilers have been arguably the league’s most dangerous team offensively for a number of seasons now, and were expected to be even more lethal this campaign. So far, however, that hasn’t clicked. McDavid has been good, albeit not on an elite level like we have all become accustomed to. Meanwhile, guys like Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Evan Bouchard are all struggling mightily.
Their offensive struggles continued last night, as they were shut out by one of the NHL’s worst teams in the Montreal Canadiens. Perhaps most frustrating of all was that despite playing against a team they are more than capable of beating, they failed to generate much of anything in terms of scoring opportunities.
One great chance they did have came early in the first period, when McDavid danced around several Canadiens players and set Hyman up for what would have been an assist-of-the-year candidate. Hyman was unable to convert, however, sending a shot on what appeared to be a sure goal wide of the net. Sensing what a great opportunity it was, McDavid couldn’t help but slam his stick into the boards in frustration.
This isn’t McDavid trying to show up his teammate, but instead exemplifies just how frustrating this start to the season has been for the Oilers. It isn’t nearly as bad as last season, mind you, but it has still been quite underwhelming for a team that came in with such high expectations.
It’s also worth noting that McDavid has shown this type of disappointment with himself in the past, as well. In a game versus the Arizona Coyotes during the 2022-23 season, he slammed his stick against the boards after missing a breakaway in overtime, only to score the game-winner just seconds later. As mentioned, he holds himself to as high — if not higher — of a standard than he does of his teammates.
Oilers Could Use This as a Spark
Though the ideal situation would have been the Oilers starting off hot from the get-go, this frustration for McDavid could prove to be a good thing. After all, not long after he voiced his frustration during the Panthers series in June, the Oilers were able to pull off a near-historical comeback, tying the series at three apiece after being down 3-0. It could also serve as a wake-up call for Hyman, who may soon be forced to give up his spot on the top line if things don’t turn around.
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It may already be working, as the Oilers looked much more like the team everybody was expecting to see last night, putting up five goals in a 5-2 win over the Ottawa Senators. Should the offence continue to excel from here on out, we will be able to look back at this particular instance as one of the main things that helped get the Oilers season back on track.
