If that wasn’t Connor McDavid’s greatest goal ever scored, it’s close to it.
The Edmonton Oilers superstar’s power-play marker and eventual game-winner just 4:17 into Game 6 of his team’s playoff series with the Dallas Stars is one of ‘those’: worthy of watching on repeat and, if you could frame four seconds of video, you’d have it at the custom gallery right now.
Reserve a spot on the wall of your memory’s fan cave for it regardless.
It was set up by McDavid’s career-long partner in highlight reel plays, Leon Draisaitl, the sort of play spectators have witnessed over the duo’s nine seasons in Oilers silks.
This goal, however, featured not one nor two but three otherwordly moves by McDavid in weaving the seemingly impossible sequence together: first, getting around and keeping penalty-killer Sam Steel at bay before, second, toe-dragging the puck past swiping top Dallas defender Miro Keiskanen and, third, quickly shifting to his backhand to shelve it past all-star goalie Jake Oettinger amongst a crowd of players.
McDavid was modest, as usual, after the game in describing the goal, saying he chose “the best way I thought possible” to score.
“It was nice — seen it before but nice,” a deadpanning Draisaitl said in the post-game media conference following the 2-1 Oilers win to chuckles from reporters.
“There’s one player in the world that can make plays like that and things like that happen … He knows what I think of him. I think everybody does.”
Dallas Stars forward Wyatt Johnston (53) and defenceman Esa Lindell (23) look away as Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid (97) celebrates his goal with teammate forward Zach Hyman (18) during the first period of Game 6 of the NHL Western Conference Final on June 2, 2024, in Edmonton. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)That the goal saw McDavid maneuver past Heiskanen was what impressed Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch, who said he’s seen him score impressive goals “numerous times” but not quite like this.
“I’ve seen him do something like that, but never against one of the best defencemen in the NHL,” he said following the game.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, his regular linemate both five-on-five and with the man advantage, “still (isn’t) used to” McDavid’s knack for staging such wizardry.
“He pulls something like that out, it’s pretty mind-boggling. For him to make that play on a night like tonight is incredible,” Nugent-Hopkins said.
‘Crazy how good he is’
For top-pairing Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm, to have “the best in the world” scoring such an “unbelievable” goal and dominating the Stars the way he did in Game 6 helps give his teammates the confidence they “need in these moments to play a little more free.”
“We didn’t have a ton of offence in the first period, but he comes in there and he puts it on his back and he does those things that … I don’t think anyone else can do it in this league,” Ekholm told reporters.
“It’s crazy how good he is. He shows up every night. He’s the leader of this team. I can’t say enough great things about him.”
Skinner, who watched the McDavid goal unfold 200 feet away like so many other plays in Sunday’s game and countless others, echoed Ekholm’s assertion of the star player’s leadership qualities.
“The way that he played not only for that shift but for the whole game, it brings everyone else to do the same thing and it challenges everybody else to skate like that and to work as hard as he does,” Skinner said.
“The way that he leads as a person off the ice is amazing, but he also leads by the way that he plays.”
A few highlights
A sampling of No. 97 career highlight-reel goals:
Oct. 17, 2023 at Predators: McDavid spins at the Nashville Predators blueline, recovers the puck and beats a defender and goalie Juuse Saros for a goal.
Nov. 5, 2021 vs. Rangers: McDavid skates through four New York Rangers players then dekes goalie Alexander Georgiev for a backhand tap in to tie the game late in the third period.
Jan. 6, 2020 at Maple Leafs: In no-look fashion, McDavid fakes his way around defenceman Morgan Rielly and taps the puck past goalie Michael Hutchinson for his first goal in Toronto.
April 30, 2017 vs. Ducks: In Game 3 of the Edmonton-Anaheim second-round playoff series, McDavid stops suddenly and spins away from defenceman Sami Vatanen, wristing a 30-foot shot past goalie John Gibson.
Feb. 2, 2016 vs. Blue Jackets: Arguably McDavid’s first such display of NHL defence-twisting brilliance. In his first game in three months after breaking his collarbone, the rookie splits the Columbus Blue Jackets defence to fool goalie Joonas Korpisalo and score to electrify the Rexall Place crowd.