Like his team, Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid is racking up successes this season, but to win the playoffs he has to change some aspect of his game, says John Tortorella.
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Currently a television analyst for ESPN, the one with 1,383 regular-season games to his name believes that the number 97’s skills alone will not be enough to lead the Alberta team to their first Stanley Cup since the spring of 1990. According to He, the striker will have to be more concerned about his defense, even if he kept a +21 differential in 2020-2021.
“I think he needs to change his game a bit. Obviously, it’s not about becoming a plumber. He spoke about culture, goals and victories. In the playoffs, you are not going to fill the net and crush the opponent in scoring. You have to do well in the other side of the game and have a strong attitude telling yourself that nothing is going to bother you, no matter how we go about stopping you, ”Tortorella explained on ESPN.
“Don’t talk about it and just play solid despite it. The other side of the game is important once the playoffs have started. ”
Also, the prolific forward who sails on a 20-game streak with at least one point has lessons to learn from the Oilers’ collapse during the 2021 playoffs, during which they suffered the sweep in the first round against the Jets. from Winnipeg. In the showdown, he had accumulated four points and posted a -2 record.
“He’s still learning. [L’entraîneur-chef Dave Tippett] will have to bring the whole group together. If they aim for the cup, they will have to play a little differently and not only by wanting to dominate the other clubs ”, insisted the double recipient of the Jack-Adams trophy.
The Ovechkin example
To support his claims a little more, the former driver who won a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2003-2004 admits he was wrong in the case of Alexander Ovechkin, whom he has often seen at the work when he was in charge of the Eastern Association. This adjusted and the results arrived in 2017-2018.
“I didn’t think the Capitals were going to win in Washington, but Ovi changed his game a bit and they ended up winning a cup,” he said.
As of Friday, McDavid has claimed nine goals and 15 assists for 24 points in 12 games.