Oilers’ Connor McDavid compared to Gretzky, Lemieux as playoff dominance continues


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Connor McDavid will eventually need a Stanley Cup title to join the list of all-time greats, and he moved one step closer to accomplishing that feat with more brilliance on Tuesday.

He led the Edmonton Oilers to a 5-3 victory over the Calgary Flames in Game 4 of their second-round playoff series with two more assists. Edmonton now leads the series 3-1 and is one win away from reaching the Western Conference Final for the first time since the 2005-06 season.

Social networks did not stop the praise of the 25-year-old star:

andy and rono @ARHockeyStatistics

We want to see Colorado against veterans like Smith or Keith (with all due respect to them). Connor McDavid is really on a Gretzky/Lemieux level.

However, it was not a one-man effort, as Evander Kane and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each scored two goals in the victory. Nugent-Hopkins’ second with less than five minutes left was crucial and broke the 3-3 tie while saving the Oilers from collapse.

They appeared to be in complete control with three goals in the first period, but Calgary came back with three straight goals from Elias Lindholm, Mikael Backlund and Rasmus Andersson. Lindholm and Backlund cut the deficit to 3-2 with goals within 40 seconds of each other in the second half, and Andersson’s goal fell short in the third.

However, Edmonton’s star power proved to be too much in the end with Nugent-Hopkins breaking the tie and McDavid assisting on Kane’s second goal as insurance. McDavid has now scored two or more points in seven straight games and 10 of Edmonton’s 11 postseason contests.

He will look to close out the Flames in Game 5 on Thursday.




Reference-bleacherreport.com

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