Canadian 5 – Oilers 2 | The beautiful story

(Edmonton) Since the start of his NHL career, Connor McDavid has scored in 75% of the games he has played. This season, this proportion is 84%.

Simon Olivier Lorange
The Press

As well to say, and the most advanced mathematical models are clear on this subject, that at the moment when a meeting in which the number 97 is involved begins, there is much more chance that he will register for the score how likely it is to be kept silent.

Saturday night in Edmonton, the odds were tweaked. And that explains the big smile displayed by Laurent Dauphin after the Canadian’s 5-2 victory against the Oilers.

The 26-year-old Quebecer, of whom it was only the 59^and career game, was the forward of his side who spent the most time on the ice with McDavid, both 5-on-5 and shorthanded. Along with defensemen Brett Kulak and Jeff Petry, he helped muzzle the NHL’s leading scorer.

As the meeting took place at the home of the Oilers, local coach Jay Woodcroft had the final say on the matchup. It was therefore he who chose to send McDavid against the trio of Dauphin, Brendan Gallagher and Mike Hoffman.

“Maybe the coaches on the other side think I don’t have experience! Dolphin had fun. It was a great challenge, and I think we took it up well. »

“I’m not afraid of anyone,” he added confidently.

Over the past few months, the striker’s rise has been quite spectacular. Almost no one saw him land a regular job with the Canadiens at training camp. As a matter of fact, he started the season in the American League, a circuit where he has played 316 games so far.

The minor league player tag was well entrenched. But since nothing was normal this season, he was recalled in December and never returned to the Laval Rocket.

He plays today without any complex in the center of Gallagher and Hoffman, and has become, casually, a safe bet in numerical inferiority. Since his first game, on December 7, he has been used with regularity short of a man, first by Dominique Ducharme then by Martin St-Louis.

In the meantime, he ranks second among CH attackers for the number of goals against per 60 minutes of play. On Saturday, he was the one who saw the most action (4 min 5 s ) in this phase of play. In his presence, the Oilers were limited to two shots. He also scored a goal, which was ultimately disallowed due to offside, but which followed a puck stolen from Connor McDavid in the defensive zone.

“Laurent knows how to play on 200 feet,” said St-Louis. It’s a shame he wasn’t rewarded, because he deserves a goal. He’s a guy you can count on throughout the game, in all areas. »

“I think it’s getting better and better,” reacted the principal concerned. Confidence increases. It’s great fun to be comfortable for the first time in my life in the NHL. It’s the first time I’ve played with so much confidence and pleasure. »

We know how stories of perseverance and determination are the bread and butter of sports media. Here’s a nice one.

Finally Gallagher

Dauphin is far from the only deserving member of his team, which offered an inspired collective performance.

Brendan Gallagher, in particular, has finally put an end to his offensive drought. For the first time in his career, he went 18 games without scoring. His celebration after finding the back of the net in the first half spoke of the relief he experienced.

Considering the number of scoring chances he obtained despite his failures – he remained one of the CH leaders in this area despite everything – it was a matter of time before the magic happened. Nevertheless, it had to happen one day and we move on.

“You want to produce the attack and help the team, he testified afterwards. Martin St-Louis talked to me a lot, and I appreciate him because he doesn’t have to. […] Since St-Louis arrived, I feel my game coming back. »

In his turn at the microphone, the coach recalled that in the absence of having a long career behind the bench, he has the “experience of each of these players”: the one who passes his turn in the stands, the one who plays on the fourth line and the one who is the offensive engine of his team.

“I’ve been through what Gallagher is going through. It’s important to communicate with him, to keep an overview, to be patient, not to judge him only on his production, but on the way he plays. I think he plays very well. »

In fact, it’s almost everyone who, at the Canadiens, plays very well. And the fact that this team does it on the road and against teams with superior assets to their own shows how much the crisis of confidence they went through hurt them.

The next steps in the short and medium term are not yet fully defined. But for now, life is pretty good.

In details

Not the officials night

All players sometimes (or often) have bad games. Officials too. Saturday’s game was one of those nights. Only in the second period, two goals of the Canadian had to be revised after the Oilers had argued that there had been offside – they were always right. At the end of the period, Ben Chiarot was assessed a high stick penalty, which by definition is equivalent to a stick carried above the victim’s shoulders. It really wasn’t. The most surprising penalty, however, was inflicted on Brendan Gallagher, midway through the third period. The attacker hit the stick of an opponent who, sitting on his bench, had left his work tool lying on the ice. Said stick flew through the air, earning him two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct. Smiling, he said after the meeting that he “asked [quel était] regulations” on this subject. He admitted that he may have put too much energy into his gesture, but according to him, an opponent “has no right to put his stick like that”. “I received several penalties [dans ma carrière]but I’m not sure I’ve ever had one like this,” he concluded.

The generous Mike Smith

Not only is Mike Smith a very likable person in life, but he is also very generous in front of his net. The 39-year-old goalkeeper, the second oldest in his profession, had allowed 3 or more goals 9 times in 14 starts before Saturday’s game. We can now add “+ 1” in the two columns – 10 in 15, therefore – after the confrontation against the CH. The first three goals he gave up didn’t make him look too bad, but he got completely out of the game when Artturi Lehkonen’s goal gave CH a 4-2 lead. After enjoying such a great and surprising campaign in 2020-21, Smith has shown clear signs of slowing down this season. We could laugh if his partner was part of the elite of the NHL, but it would be bad to know Mikko Koskinen, who, as we know, also has his heart on his hand.

Suzuki, again and again

Clearly, the praise hasn’t stopped raining down on Nick Suzuki. The center player had another strong game on Saturday, notably having the thankless task of keeping Leon Draisaitl and Evander Kane respectful. Not only was he successful in that regard, he left oil country after a second straight three-pointer. “It’s funny because everyone told me he had to improve on the road. I find it very good on the road so far! joked Martin St-Louis after the game. More seriously, he recalled how Suzuki was a “smart player” and praised his “cadence”. “He knows when to go full throttle and when to slow down. He knows very well where the other team is and where his teammates are. It helps to play at the right speed. The head coach pointed out that this is the kind of quality that Nikita Kucherov possesses. He didn’t compare the two players directly, but it’s still flattering that the two names are spoken in the same sentence.

Rising

Samuel Montembeault

He rebounded in the best possible way after giving the Winnipeg Jets seven goals last Tuesday, and especially after being humiliated by the Oilers on January 29 in Montreal. He made 27 saves, including several spectacular ones.

Falling

Kale Clague

It’s almost a shame for him, because the whole team played well. But his inability to impose himself physically in his one-on-one duels is flagrant. Zach Hyman’s goal testifies to this.

The number of the game

6 min 35 sec

He may have become a crowd favourite, but Michael Pezzetta remains a marginal player. For the seventh time in his last 13 games, he has spent less than 7 minutes on the ice.