Nathan MacKinnon made sure to enjoy Colorado’s win over St. Louis. Louis on the night of the sixth game, but did not hesitate to acknowledge the team’s next challenge: Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the Edmonton Oilers.
“It has to be a full team effort to shut down these guys,” he said. “But we are confident. We believe that if we play the best we can, we can do it against anyone.”
The Western Conference Finals will begin Tuesday in Denver. The world of hockey expects brilliant goals, a high-octane offense from both sides, and regardless of the outcome, some of the best young players in the NHL will have a chance to play in the Stanley Cup.
This is a series with a cast of stars, and the two main roles are played by franchise centers that are pushing for the ultimate goal. The McDavid’s Oilers are in the third round for the first time since 2006, when the team reached the final before losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games.
To say that McDavid is impatient is an understatement. Before Game 5 against Calgary, the Oilers captain said he was “desperate” to finish the series. The feeling may have been fueled by some bad memories, such as in April 2019 when he said, “I personally want to play in the playoffs. I’m not happy about it. It’s going to be a long summer.”
The team is already at new heights during the McDavid era and will push for more.
CONNOR MCDAVID ADVANCES OILERS TOWARDS WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL WITH OT GOAL.
@Sportsnet | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/QUTsn02fcJ
– The Athletic (@TheAthletic) May 27, 2022
The Avalanche has had similar frustrations, with superstar MacKinnon much more blunt as he expressed a similar sentiment in 2021. “Next year I’m in my ninth year and I haven’t won any shit,” he said after Vegas eliminated the Avalanche.
Now one of these great players will live the dream of playing a Stanley Cup final. The other? Another year of frustration, with some proven progress in relieving pain.
The Avalanche look like a champion and the Oilers have a new coach to Jay Woodcroft who has solved all the problems since Valentine’s Day.
What and who are the key factors in the confrontation? Here’s a breakdown of Avalanche writer Peter Baugh and Oilers writer Allan Mitchell.
Who is a player who has to go up for each team?
Baugh: Darcy Kuemper didn’t have his best series against the Blues. He saved 5.13 fewer goals than expected throughout the second round, for Evolving-Hockey, and finished the series with a .892 savings percentage. That’s not ideal, but Kuemper looked much better during the regular season, with a 37-12-4 record and a .921 savings percentage. He finished the year with 15.77 GSAx, for Evolving-Hockey, which ranked sixth in the NHL.
Getting Kuemper back on track could be the difference between Colorado coming home or reaching the Stanley Cup final. The Oilers will likely put more records on the net than the Blues, and this could give the net goalkeeper a chance to find a groove.
Mitchell: Mike Smith has had great moments in the postseason, but he needs to increase his consistency. In the five games against Calgary in the second round, their savings rates in all strengths were, per game, .700, .925, .970, .906 and .889, for a series total of. 907. His team needs a more reliable goalkeeper against the Avalanche.
Colorado can bury a team, with exceptionally skilled players like MacKinnon and Cale Makar, and the Avalanche is unlikely to suffer a drop in collective score as the Flames did in the last series. One thing’s for sure: Smith has the confidence to play at a great time. The question is, will the performance continue?
Mike Smith (Ron Chenoy / USA Today)
What is the health status of each team?
Baugh: The Avalanche lost Samuel Girard in his second-round series after the defender received a blow from Blues striker Ivan Barbashev. He suffered a sternum fracture and will miss the rest of the playoffs. Jack Johnson played in his place the last three games of the Blues series, amassing a strong game 4 but making an expensive turnover in game 6.
Aside from Girard, all team members are available. This leaves the computer with several security options. Defenders Kurtis MacDermid and Ryan Murray, forwards Alex Newhook and Nico Sturm were all good scratches in Game 6 against St. Louis. Louis, and Andre Burakovsky and Logan O’Connor sat on the points of the series.
Mitchell: Draisaitl has suffered a leg / ankle injury that forced him to move to the far right, where he flourished on the McDavid line. At the end of the series against the Flames, Draisaitl seemed to be about to fully recover, and this may indicate a return to the center. Darnell Nurse missed a game (suspension) during the playoffs, and has been healing an injury to his lower body that affects the speed of his foot.
Oscar Klefbom, the team’s best defender when he was injured, has not played since August 2020 (playoff bubble) due to a shoulder injury that appears to have ended his playing career .
How are the stars of the team playing?
Baugh: MacKinnon’s line of stats wasn’t as absurd as McDavid’s in the second round, but he put together a quietly good series against a difficult task on Ryan O’Reilly, a former Conn winner Smythe and Selke and one of the best. defensive centers of the league. The Avalanche dominated on goal occasions and expected goals with MacKinnon on the ice against the Blues captain, and MacKinnon still averaged more than one point per game, finishing the series with three goals and four assists.
Makar had a series up and down by his standards, and neither he nor Mikko Rantanen scored a goal without an empty goal in round 2. Colorado could find another gear if those two can find a goal.
Mitchell: McDavid is on another level. He started Game 6 against the Kings and continued throughout the series against the Flames. In fact, Draisaitl outscored the captain in all five games against the Flames, scoring two goals and a total of 17 points in all situations (McDavid had three and 12).
Zach Hyman (six goals) and Evander Kane (five) also made great efforts against Calgary.
Head to head
Who is a third round candidate?
Mitchell: Evan Bouchard is not yet famous and will not be noticed for his defense. His game without the puck is a work in progress, which can make him a target for opposing strikers. But against Calgary, Bouchard had many more good times than bad, and the Oilers won the five-on-five goal 6-5 while on the ice.
A quality passenger known for his ability to get the records on the net, scored twice five against five at the Battle of Alberta, adding a power goal.
Edmonton’s defense will be challenged by the Avalanche. A good performance by Bouchard could serve as an introduction to the NHL. He is a special talent.
Baugh: Rantanen has still been providing a high level, recording 10 assists this postseason, but apart from an empty net goal against the Blues, he has yet to score in the playoffs. The Finnish star has scored 36 goals this season and has scored at a rate of 39 goals and 82 games over the last four seasons combined. At some point, he will find his scoring touch and come out this postseason.
Rantanen is already a well-known talent, but as for a young player like Bouchard who could gain more reputation in the entire league, 20-year-old defender Bowen Byram has been playing exceptionally well and has taken on more responsibility with Girard out. He had five assists against the Blues, tying him with Scott Stevens for the second most assists in a seven-game series by a 20-year-old or younger defender, according to TSN’s StatsCentre. (As I was writing, I noticed how many adjectives there were in this statement, but it’s awesome anyway.)
Bowen Byram in Round 2:
67.02% share of shots ES (number 1 on the team) 79.31% percentage of chances of high danger ES (number 1 on the team) 5 assists (3 primary, tied to lead the team) 18 shots on goal
Has come.
– Evan Rawal (@evanrawal) May 28, 2022
What story are you waiting for?
Mitchell: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was the No. 1 pick in the 2011 draft, and immediately fell into the shadow of Taylor Hall (chosen the previous year). In every season he has played, Nuge has been eclipsed; his entire game has never seen the spotlight on a big stage.
If Draisaitl stays in the McDavid line, we could see how Nugent-Hopkins will face Nazem Kadri, an exceptional center who also has a strong and complete game. Nuge doubled but did not break (4-4 goals to five against five as central No. 2) during the Flames series, and will have to provide the same excellence against Colorado unless Draisaitl moves to center.
Baugh: And who was the second pick in the Nugent-Hopkins draft class? Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog.
But this is not the story I hope for. My answer is not original but, I hope, fair: the clash of McDavid and MacKinnon is as good as the league could have dreamed. Which generational center will take the next step and reach a Cup?
Also, the battle of Colorado defender Josh Manson and his father, Edmonton assistant Dave Manson, should be fun.
What pressure does each team have?
Baugh: The Avalanche overcame a hump by winning its second-round series. The team had not gone to the conference finals since 2002 and had lost in the second round in three consecutive seasons.
Although that weight is on the back of Colorado, the team did not enter the season just hoping to get out of the second round. CEO Joe Sakic has built a full list of stars and depth, and the Avalanche has legitimate aspirations for the Stanley Cup. While Colorado will still have some great talent next season, it will likely lose talent to free agency. Kadri, Burakovsky, Valeri Nichushkin, Kuemper, Manson, Andrew Cogliano, Murray, Sturm and Jack Johnson have expiring contracts. Sakic will …