DENVER — Connor McDavid He has been the dominant figure in the NHL postseason so far. Even so, he feels the pressure to perform in the postseason. Edmonton Oilers They were beaten 4-0 by the Colorado Avalanche In Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, on Thursday, to fall behind by 2-0 in best-of-7 series.
McDavid admitted that “I probably hadn’t been at your best here”. “They have done a great job in limiting our possibilities. They discovered a way to break through [tonight]. We didn’t.”
McDavid and Edmonton have been powered by their superstars throughout the playoffs. McDavid leads all playoff skaters, scoring 29 points in 14 games. He was also a dominant force during the Oilers’ series win over the Edmonton Oilers. Calgary Flames.
McDavid did score one goal and three goals in Game 1 against Colorado, which was an 8-6 loss for Oilers. However, McDavid was unable to make it in Game 2, as he was with everyone else on Edmonton’s benches. The relentless Colorado team dictated the game much of the time with fast transition play and rush chances.
Jay Woodcroft, Edmonton coach, had attempted to ignite the Oilers with his top skaters. McDavid was then brought in. Leon Draisaitl Start Game 2 on two separate lines Draisaitl was slotted in Kailer Yamamoto And Ryan Nugent-HopkinsMcDavid was paired with Evander Kane And Zach Hyman.
Edmonton was not affected by the changes.
Woodcroft stated that “we did some things to move chess pieces around.” “We didn’t do enough for the opposing goaltender to be difficult; we had some chances, but not enough. Even though tonight was not our night, we will go back to the drawing table.
Due to the high level of offense in Game 1, both teams committed to better defense during Game 2. This was partially realized in a scoreless opening period, in which Colorado won 15-13.
Both goaltenders, Mike Smith And Pavel Francouz (Starting in place of the hurt) Darcy Kuemper), were excellent in that frame, making key stops to hold the tie.
It was then 3-0 Avalanche in 2:04.
Artturi Lehkonen The game’s first icebreaker took place in the second half. A goal by Josh Manson.
Woodcroft took a moment to restrain his team. This didn’t help.
An Oilers line change that was not good set up a rush for Colorado. This resulted in another goal: this one from Mikko Rantanen.
Nazem Kadri All three goals were assisted.
McDavid claimed that momentum is what they use. McDavid said, “They find ways of compounding one and turning it into three here. We have to grab it. Over the last few games, it seems like we have been suffering from shifts following goals. They score the next shift.
Edmonton also failed to capitalize on Smith’s great performance. After allowing six goals, the veteran was pulled halfway through Game 1. However, he clearly had overcome that in a flawless first period that involved many key stops by the Avalanche.
The Oilers couldn’t provide any assistance to him. Colorado was all over Edmonton, using good sticks to stop chances and refuse to give the Oilers much offensive zone time. Edmonton was downshot 31-22 by the end the third period. Edmonton was now 0-for-2 in the power play.
Woodcroft stated, “I thought that we pushed back. We generated some offense.” “That second period, with its short span of time, really hurt us. It took our wind out of their sails. We were unable to generate.”
Nathan MacKinnon To make it 4-0 Colorado, the Avalanche added the third round haul.
“I thought we played an excellent first,” Tyson Barrie said. “There was a little stretch in the second where they got one, and we compounded it — two, three. That’s the power of momentum. This is how the team works. We have to do a better job of stopping the bleeding when they get one.
Francouz was unable to get Edmonton one puck. After losing Kuemper in Game 1 to an upper-body injury, Colorado’s backup was forced to start its game. Francouz recorded the second playoff shutout in his career with a 24-save performance.
The series will shift to Edmonton for Game 3 Saturday. There, the Oilers hope to exploit their home crowd to their advantage to get back in the series.
Woodcroft stated that “We’ve come up to a building along the road, and we didn’t win.” “Now, it’s up to us all to regroup, see clearly what we can do better, and go out and perform on home ice.