Oilers' snap playoff skid
When Tyson Barrie scored late in Game 6 to prolong the Edmonton Oilers' season, Connor McDavid raised his hands at the net front and paused to look skyward in Los Angeles. He'd had a fabulous game, and his relief was visible.
When McDavid scored late in Game 7 to extinguish the Kings, Kailer Yamamoto hopped three times as he raced to mob his captain. He'd fed McDavid on the rush and watched him get hooked, ring the post, tap the puck through a defender's legs, and roof a backhand over Jonathan Quick. Yamamoto's awe was visible.
Before McDavid finished the job himself, he got the help he needed to break Edmonton's playoff habit of collapsing against less-heralded opponents. Mike Smith's second shutout - he made 29 stops Saturday as Edmonton won 2-0 - upped his postseason save percentage to .938. Gutting out an ankle injury, Leon Draisaitl teamed with McDavid and Yamamoto to dominate the Kings in Game 7.
That line's will matched its ample skill Saturday, notably on Cody Ceci's game-winner. Draisaitl won the offensive-zone faceoff that preceded the goal. Yamamoto leapt at the blue line to catch and foil the Kings' attempted clearance.
McDavid and Ceci took care of the rest, and the Oilers advanced in the playoffs for the first time in five years. They'll either contest the Battle of Alberta in Round 2 or face red-hot goalie Jake Oettinger and the Dallas Stars.
Nice to see the hometown team finally move on out of the first round.
When Tyson Barrie scored late in Game 6 to prolong the Edmonton Oilers' season, Connor McDavid raised his hands at the net front and paused to look skyward in Los Angeles. He'd had a fabulous game, and his relief was visible.
When McDavid scored late in Game 7 to extinguish the Kings, Kailer Yamamoto hopped three times as he raced to mob his captain. He'd fed McDavid on the rush and watched him get hooked, ring the post, tap the puck through a defender's legs, and roof a backhand over Jonathan Quick. Yamamoto's awe was visible.
Before McDavid finished the job himself, he got the help he needed to break Edmonton's playoff habit of collapsing against less-heralded opponents. Mike Smith's second shutout - he made 29 stops Saturday as Edmonton won 2-0 - upped his postseason save percentage to .938. Gutting out an ankle injury, Leon Draisaitl teamed with McDavid and Yamamoto to dominate the Kings in Game 7.
That line's will matched its ample skill Saturday, notably on Cody Ceci's game-winner. Draisaitl won the offensive-zone faceoff that preceded the goal. Yamamoto leapt at the blue line to catch and foil the Kings' attempted clearance.
McDavid and Ceci took care of the rest, and the Oilers advanced in the playoffs for the first time in five years. They'll either contest the Battle of Alberta in Round 2 or face red-hot goalie Jake Oettinger and the Dallas Stars.
Nice to see the hometown team finally move on out of the first round.
