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Though he's only played nine years in the NHL, Connor McDavid is already a surefire Hall of Famer. He'll notch his 1,000th career point early next season and has plenty of opportunities to add to his Hart Trophy count. What the three-time MVP doesn’t have is a Stanley Cup and it's potentially eluding McDavid's Edmonton Oilers once again this year.
The Oilers trail the Westen Conference Final against the Dallas Stars two games to one. They are steering toward another disappointing end to a promising season. With it, McDavid potentially ticks off another year of his prime without a championship.
There's no telling how long McDavid will dominate the NHL but there's a good chance he'll stick around the top of the leaderboards for a few more years. Hockey is a team sport though and one that requires players one through 20 on the roster to be locked in during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Oilers have made deep runs in the playoffs in recent years, but this year looks like one of their best chances to go all the way. Edmonton legend and six-time Cup winner Mark Messier thinks it's now or never for the Oilers.
“I think this is Edmonton's best chance to win a Stanley Cup since Connor McDavid has been there,” Messier said on an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.
“They have an opportunity to go to the Stanley Cup Final and if they do they're going to earn it against a very strong Dallas team.”
The Oilers will need to overcome a 2-1 series deficit to reach the finals, and McDavid might be the key to making that happen.
Is Game 4 a must-win for the Oilers?
Being down two games to one is not the worst position to be in, but a third loss in that fourth game makes the mountain much tougher to climb. The Oilers have faced similar series deficits in years past and are hoping to move past this and into the Stanley Cup Final.
The Oilers have not lost consecutive home games in the playoffs since being swept by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2022 Western Conference Final.
Connor McDavid is tied for the league lead in points this postseason but has only four goals. The Oilers haven’t really needed him to put up monster numbers, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt if he recorded a four-point game.
The biggest problem for Edmonton is their lack of consistency on defense. Goaltender Stuart Skinner has been shaky for much of the postseason but earned some encouraging words from Oilers head Kris Knoblauch after Game 3.
Edmonton is not a team pushing for a low-scoring, scrappy game. The Oilers will go blow for blow with anyone in a goal fest, but it doesn’t always work out for them. All but one of Edmonton's 15 games this postseason had at least four goals scored. The Oilers are averaging 3.5 goals per game and lead all teams with 53 goals.
They've also allowed the most goals this postseason, which is a testament to their playoff run. It has not all fallen on the goaltending, but the other remaining teams in the playoffs are surely thankful they have solid play between the pipes.
The Oilers are potentially in a must-win situation in Game 4. A loss would give the Stars two chances to clinch the series at home. A lot is on the line in Wednesday night's game. Don’t be surprised if Connor McDavid is involved.
