McDavid continues to be difference-maker for Oilers in Game 3 win against Stars

EDMONTON -- As Connor McDavid was taking part in his postgame press conference in the Edmonton Oilers Hall of Fame on Sunday, one of the many fans watching through the window from out on the street could be seen wearing a blue and orange No. 97 jersey with the name McJESUS stitched on the back.

The Dallas Stars likely have a few less flattering names for the Oilers captain after their 6-1 loss in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final at Rogers Place.

Indeed, for Dallas coach Pete DeBoer and his team, it was that cursed guy again, the same one who has consistently been a thorn in their collective sides come Stanley Cup Playoff time.

To that end, McDavid’s two-goal performance gives him 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in nine Western Conference Final games against the Stars dating back to last year’s series, which the Oilers won in six games.

One year later, here we go again.

Truth be told, there had been some angst heading into Game 3 among the rabid fan base and, in some cases, the media, that the 28-year-old had scored just once in his previous 10 games. Such concern was overblown, given that he’d had 12 assists in that span, an indication of how he’d consistently continued to help the offense.

On Sunday, the goals finally came for him, which was no surprise to teammate Zach Hyman.

“I think people forget he’s a 60-goal scorer,” Hyman said, referring to McDavid’s NHL career-high 64 goals he scored in 2022-23. “I mean, he’s probably an underrated goal-scorer. He makes the right play, whether it’s a pass or a goal, right?

“Best player in the world. And when he has an opportunity to shoot it, and he shoots it, there’s a good chance it goes in.”

Actually, it had been doing anything but.

Prior to the game Sunday, McDavid scored just three times on 51 postseason shots, a shooting percentage of only 5.9 percent. When you consider that number during the regular season was 13.3 percent (26 goals on 196 shots), he figured to be due.

In the process, it was the timing of his goals, as is often the case with him, that was as important as the number of them he had.

His first goal of the afternoon at 14:38 of the first period gave Edmonton a 2-0 lead and would stand up to be the game-winner.

Then, with the Oilers hanging on to a 2-1 advantage late in the second, his snap shot with just 19 seconds remaining before intermission proved to be a crushing blow for Dallas, which outshot Edmonton 21-7 in the period.

“Obviously that third goal was kind of a backbreaker,” DeBoer said.

Hyman agreed.

“It’s a huge goal there,” he said. “They’re pushing, they’re playing better than us, and to reestablish a two-goal lead is massive.”

And it came from McDavid. Who else would it be, given that the Stars have seen this act from him before.

In Game 1 of the conference final last season, McDavid, fueled by the anger of taking a penalty in the first overtime period, then failing to convert with an open net shortly afterward, scored the winning goal 32 seconds into the second overtime to give the Oilers a 3-2 victory.

The best would still be yet to come.

In Game 6, with Edmonton leading 3-2 in the best-of-7 series and having a chance to advance in front of their raucous home crowd, he opened the scoring with one of those ridiculous McDavid moments only he can produce.

With Dallas defenseman Chris Tanev in the penalty box for tripping, McDavid eluded Stars forward Sam Steel at the bottom of the left face-off circle before cutting in toward Miro Heiskanen. When the Stars' top defenseman looked to have cut off his path to the net, McDavid completed a ridiculous toe-drag around him before backhanding the puck past goalie Jake Oettinger to give the Oilers a lead they would never relinquish.

That highlight-reel goal helped the Oilers win the game 2-1, win the series 4-2, and propelled them to their first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 2006. The Stars would end up outshooting Edmonton 34-10 in that game but were done in by McDavid’s two-point night (one goal, one assist).

One year later, Edmonton has a far deeper team and admittedly hasn’t had to rely on McDavid’s heroics as much to carry it deep into the playoffs again. Despite that fact, he’s still leading the NHL postseason scoring race with 22 points (five goals, 17 assists) and has helped the Oilers take a 2-1 lead in this latest series against the Stars.

“You have to win games different ways,” McDavid said. “You’ve got to have dominant nights, you’ve got to have nights where maybe your goalie is better than theirs, and you’ve got to have nights where your special teams just gets it done. …

“Got to find different ways to win games in different ways, and obviously we did it again tonight.”

At the expense of the Stars, who once again saw McDavid be a difference-maker against them.