Ducks Did Unthinkable to Oilers, But Game 2 Will Look Different

Connor McDavid was left off the scoresheet Monday night as the Anaheim Ducks did an effective job of diffusing the nuclear bomb that can be the best player in the world. McDavid was a little guilty of trying to do too much, but credit should go to an Anaheim group that not only shut McDavid down but also found a way to keep Evan Bouchard, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Jack Roslovic off the board as well.

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On the backs of two goals each by Kasperi Kapanen and Jason Dickinson, the Oilers found a way to take Game 1. But as Kapanen said after the win, it will be hard for those two to follow up that kind of performance. That means the big guns need to show up.

It was uncharacteristic for so many of Edmonton’s elite guys not to factor into the score. Monday’s game was the only game all season the Oilers won in which McDavid didn’t get a single point. That suggests Game 1 was the outlier, not the norm. Don’t expect it to happen again, assuming the Oilers can go up 2-0 in the series.

But that’s a pretty big assumption. Outside of portions of the first period and the second half of the third, the Ducks outplayed the Oilers. Many have called the result a missed opportunity for Anaheim, who arguably deserved a better fate. If Game 1 showed anything, it’s that the Ducks can hang with the Oilers. Their young, inexperienced lineup isn’t going to be intimidated.

McDavid Needs to Simplify His Game

As Allan Mitchell of The Athletic wrote:

“An astute observer of the world’s best hockey player might suggest McDavid needs to shoot when his instinct is to pass (in moments when he is in a high-danger scoring area with the puck on his stick) and pass when he’s attempting to stickhandle through multiple defenders.” I’ll take that a step further and suggest McDavid would be better served taking the simple play.

He was guilty of over-carrying the puck, passing into sticks, and skating into crowds and Ducks defenders in an attempt to be unpredictable. If he realizes that his ‘predictable’ is still pretty unstoppable, the turnovers and bumbling of the puck that were unexpected will go down.

With that will come shots on net and rebounds for Zach Hyman. If McDavid shoots, the Ducks will have little choice but to respect the shot, and lanes will open for Nugent-Hopkins.

The Oilers also went 0-2 on the power play. That’s atypical.

“We have lots of guys who can step up in any situation,” said Nugent-Hopkins. “We have so much experience within our depth, guys understand that sometimes it’s their turn to show up and find ways to score big goals.”

Wednesday night, as the puck drops for Game 2, one could argue it’s the big guys turn.

Next: Depth Goals Save Oilers, But Rookie Ducks Get a Win Of Their Own in Game 1