NHL: Connor McDavid celebrates goal – Source: Imagn

Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers were 42 seconds away from miraculously sending Game 1 of their first-round series with the LA Kings to overtime following a three-goal comeback. However, Phillip Danault had other plans, shifting a knuckle puck past Stuart Skinner to secure a 6-5 Kings victory.

Edmonton was stymied through the first 40 minutes of play, held to just 10 shots on goal. But their quick-strike offensive attack, thanks in large part to Connor McDavid, almost found a way to steal Game 1 on the road.

While the Oilers should feel much more confident after their strong third period, the captain knows their overall play wasn’t good enough.

McDavid spoke to the media on Tuesday and dove into what went wrong in the loss. The Edmonton Oilers shared the clip on YouTube.

“We struggled coming through the neutral zone. Obviously, that’s their staple. Been that way for a long time, and I thought we struggled to get through the neutral zone. Struggled to get on the forecheck. Gave up too many easy ones, tough to recover,” McDavid said (0:01).

“Highs and lows. There’s highs and lows throughout the course of a series, throughout the course of a game, there’s gonna be momentum swings. And obviously, we found a way to tie it up there and gave up a late one. Disappointing.” McDavid added.

Connor McDavid is in the seventh season of the eight-year, $100,000,000 contract extension signed with the Oilers in 2017. Edmonton will be able to officially extend its captain to another long-term deal come July 1, 2025.

Connor McDavid piled up the points in Game 1

After a quiet first 39 minutes, Connor McDavid took over the final 21 minutes on Monday night.

The 28-year-old racked up four points (one goal, three assists), all in the final 20:06 of play. It was yet another showcase of the Edmonton Oilers never being out of a game when Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are in the lineup.

While the numbers are great, McDavid wants to win, and his production didn’t result in a Game 1 victory. To a lesser degree, it was the same feeling as being awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy in a losing effort during the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals.

McDavid and the Oilers will look to tie up the series when Game 2 goes down on Wednesday night in LA. The puck drops at 10 p.m. EST at Crypto.com Arena.