‘Connor doing Connor issues’: McDavid heroics hold Oilers alive in Stanley Cup

Connor McDavid needed the Edmonton Oilers to pull the Florida Panthers again to Alberta, then he did every thing in his energy to make that occur.

McDavid scored twice, together with the empty-netter to seal it, and arrange two objectives to maintain the Stanley Cup Remaining going with a 5-3 victory in Recreation 5 on Tuesday night time – avoiding elimination and sending the sequence all the best way again throughout North America. Recreation 6 is on Friday in Edmonton.

“I like taking part in within the playoffs,” McDavid mentioned. “I like taking part in with this group. It’s been a enjoyable experience, and we’re glad it’s going to go yet another day. However that’s all we’ve earned right here: One other day, one other flight. We’ll be able to go in Edmonton on Friday.”

With back-to-back four-point performances, McDavid joined Wayne Gretzky in 1985 as considered one of solely two gamers to have 4 or extra in two video games of a ultimate. His eight over this span are essentially the most for a participant in consecutive video games for a crew on the brink.

“Connor doing Connor issues,” mentioned linemate Zach Hyman, who scored his playoff-leading fifteenth purpose with an help from McDavid. “That’s what makes him particular. He’s in a position to elevate his recreation at crucial time, the largest motive why we’ve come to this point. We’re not right here with out him. He continues to drive the bus.”

“Drag them again to Alberta” grew to become the Oilers’ rallying cry, began by McDavid after he led the best way in avoiding a sweep and echoed by Connor Brown hours earlier than puck drop in Florida. Brown, the opposite Connor, scored short-handed 5 minutes in after Stuart Skinner made a number of big-time saves on the primary few shifts because the Panthers opened with a powerful push of their second probability to hoist the Cup.

“He places this crew on his again,” Perry mentioned of McDavid. “After we’re in opposition to the wall, he places us on his again and he performs. You see why he’s the perfect participant.”

Retired referee Kerry Fraser, who labored the ultimate 12 occasions throughout his prolonged profession, posted on social media, “Connor McDavid jogs my memory of how Mark Messier may take over a playoff recreation and finally a sequence.” Fraser referenced Messier carrying the Oilers to the Cup in 1990 – the franchise’s final championship, which capped that dynasty’s run of 5 in seven years.

McDavid now has 42 factors on this run. Solely Gretzky (twice) and Mario Lemieux have extra in a single postseason. His forty second into the empty internet with 19 seconds left set off the Oilers’ victory music, La Bamba, taking part in throughout Edmonton.

“We consider,” fan Trevor Savage mentioned after watching Recreation 5. “All of us knew it was attainable. We knew Connor could lead on us. We knew the crew was going to be prepared, and we’re simply excited for Recreation 6 again house.”

The Oilers once more bought to Sergei Bobrovsky, three nights after chasing him from Recreation 4 halfway via an 8-1 rout. McDavid’s first purpose on Tuesday night time from a decent angle was a mushy one to surrender by the goaltender everybody simply calls “Bob.”

Additional shaky play from Bobrovsky when the sequence shifts again to Edmonton may set the stage for a comeback not seen in additional than 80 years. The Oilers grew to become simply the third crew in Cup ultimate historical past and first since New Jersey in 2012 to fall behind 3-0 and win the subsequent two video games, and the one crew to come back all the best way again to win all of it was the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs.

“It’s been a loopy story this entire yr,” Hyman mentioned. “We’ve bought to proceed to write down it. It doesn’t make for a superb story except you end it.”