Philip Danault, Connor McDavid’s Kryptonite

The Los Angeles Kings-Edmonton Oilers streak so far looks suspiciously like the 2022 spring series, and if Connor McDavid’s gang is struggling to outrun its rivals, it’s in part because of the performances of Phillip Danault and his trio.

After the Oilers won 4-2 on Wednesday, the first-round duel is tied at 1-1 and if the trend continues, the two teams may need seven meetings to settle the dispute, as was the case a year ago, when the Alberta team struggled to control. Also, despite his offensive talent, Edmonton was almost empty-handed after playing two home games.

See also: A tumultuous end to the game in Boston

Coach Jay Woodcroft’s team certainly missed a lead every time, except they regained control to win on Wednesday, unlike their previous encounter. And the line formed by Danault, Trevor Moore and Victor Arvidsson had their say. The first of the three also started the Kings’ comeback in the second period by taking advantage of his rebound. According to its leader, Todd McClellan, other members of the club should be inspired by the work of this trio.

“We had a good group of players with energy and really, they were the ones who never lacked it. They got coaching back on track. Phil’s streak had it. It wasn’t perfect and they were outplayed on a few occasions, but their commitment kept going,” he said in a press briefing. The business was definitely above some of the others.”

“In the second and third halves we had the rhythm. We didn’t panic, but we definitely have to start the game better. For his part Danaault defined. I think the character was there and we came back strong.”

Learn from his mistakes

In the opposing camp, players promise to never get caught again. It will be up to everyone to be sober for the next 60 minutes or more, especially since McDavid has been limited to one pass from Danault and company since Monday.

“We don’t want that to happen in every game. However, these situations often happen in the qualifiers, the wind changes sides and it is stronger. There are more ups and downs and more suspense compared to the season We have to get back to our game and do things the right way.”