Life is supposed to be easy for the Edmonton Oilers because they have Connor McDavid, the consensus pick for the best player on the planet today, and Leon Draisaitl, who, like McDavid, had over 100 points back in the regular season. However, the Colorado Avalanche have done a masterful job thus far in the 2022 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Western Conference finals at neutralizing the duo.

Via Mike Stephens of The Hockey News:

Through the first two games of the series, the Avalanche have put a stranglehold on the Oilers' star duo, limiting McDavid to 35.73 percent of the expected goals and 32.69 percent of the scoring chances at even-strength, while holding Draisaitl to 44.91 and 38.24 percent, respectively.

McDavid has a goal and a couple of assists through two games in the series, but he recorded all those in the series opener which saw 14 goals scored by both the Oilers and the Avalanche. Draisaitl, on the other hand, has yet to score a goal and his two assists to date were also from Game 1.

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A major reason why the Avalanche are faring better than previous Oilers opponents in this postseason when it comes to making McDavid and Draisaitl look human is their defenseman Cale Makar.

In any case, the Avalanche can't relax just yet. The Oilers didn't go this far for fluky reasons. They remain a dangerous team with potent offensive talents who can explode anew in Game 3 at home in Edmonton.