EDMONTON -- Connor McDavid said he is confident the Edmonton Oilers can bounce back after losing consecutive games for the first time in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Oilers trail the Dallas Stars 2-1 in the best-of-7 Western Conference Final heading into Game 4 at Rogers Arena on Wednesday (8:30 p.m. ET; TNT, CBC, SN, TVAS, TNT, truTV, MAX).
Edmonton won the opener 3-2 on a McDavid goal in double overtime but lost 3-1 and 5-3, including blowing a 2-0 lead in Game 3.
“The group responds well,” the Oilers captain said Wednesday morning. “There’s a belief in our room that we can respond to situations like this.
“I know it’ll be the same tonight.”
In order for Edmonton to be successful, its odds of winning stand to improve if a sputtering power play starts clicking again. Having scored nine times in the first 20 opportunities with the man advantage, the Oilers power play has gone 0-for-5 in the series against Dallas.
Though the Stars have made a concerted effort to stay out of the penalty box, McDavid said the Oilers do need to make alterations when the opportunities arise. Edmonton’s power play trademark had been to focus on defenseman Evan Bouchard at the point and forward Leon Draisaitl stationed at the bottom of the right face-off circle, but the Dallas blueprint has focused on taking those two setups away.
“They’re a good kill,” McDavid said. “They’re aggressive up ice and make it hard to enter (the offensive zone). And when you do get in, it’s tough to get set up to make them slow down.
“Again, it’s a very good kill. But we have to bear down and get back into the series.”
McDavid also took time to come to the defense of Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse, who has been taking a lot of heat from the fans and the media for being a team-low minus-10 in the postseason.
“He’s a big part of our room,” McDavid said. “Plus-minus can be a funny stat. But he’s been important for us for a long time.
“I would expect him to have a great one tonight.”
