Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are clearly the two conductors of this Edmonton Oilers symphony, but they may as well be in charge of the sheet music and the batons, and that’s it.
Blow their own horn after McDavid’s career-best six points and Draisaitl’s career-best five assists? Forget it.
When Gretzky had eight points twice in the 80s, he brought up the NHL record of Darryl Sittler without prompting.
“Yeah, I was thinking of Sittler’s 10-point night,” said the greatest of them all.
Sittler has seven points through two periods and got three in the third against Boston.
There was no mention of McDavid thinking he had a shot at Gretzky’s eight or Paul Coffey’s eight, or more recently current teammate Sam Gagner’s eight in early February 2012 against Chicago.
McDavid figured in all six goals in the 6-2 evisceration of the short-staffed Colorado Avalanche, just as Gagner had an out-of-body experience when he was in on all eight (four goals, four assists) Oiler goals in their 8-2 win over the Hawks.
Edmonton Oilers’ Zack Kassian (44) celebrates a goal with teammates on Colorado Avalanche’s goaltender Adam Werner (30) during the first period of a NHL hockey game at Rogers Place in Edmonton, on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2019.
Ian Kucerak /
Postmedia
But, you’d have thought McDavid was a second violinist Thursday and Draisaitl third.
“Just another day at the office for them,” said linemate Zack Kassian, the orchestra cymbals guy.
Kassian is all big bang most nights. That smack-down of one of the game’s very best players Nathan MacKinnon in the first period was loud and everybody, especially McDavid was proud.
“Got us going,” he said.
Indeed, but McDavid would rather have a series of root canals than talk about himself. And Draisaitl is in lockstep. When they say there’s no ‘I’ in Team, they’re the poster boys. Draisaitl has 41 points in 21 games, leading the NHL. He has 25 points in his 11-game point streak. Those are Gretzky numbers, folks. McDavid has 20 points in the past 11, getting blanked in Pittsburgh. He has 37 points, they’re 1-2 in NHL scoring.
So over to Kassian, then.
“There’s not a day I take for granted playing with them. You don’t think about it much right now, but when you sit back, I’m going to be watching them for many years when I’m done playing,” he said.
They always talk about players feeling it. Well, they feel it the minute they fall out of bed. McDavid pretty much every day, Draisaitl clearly in the first five weeks of this NHL season. He has points in 19 of 21 games. And his five assists against the Avs were pretty much ho-hum.
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‘They’re wired differently’
Kassian is just soaking it in. On Thursday. On every day of the week ending in y.
“They’re probably thinking in that second period, ‘Hey, let’s go get eight.’ Or, “I can get nine,’’’ said Kassian.
But, they would never say it.
“They’re wired differently. They’re the elite of the elite. Edmonton is spoiled to get to watch these two guys every night.”
Draisaitl didn’t mind taking a back seat to McDavid Thursday.
“It’s obviously fun to be part of. He was flying, he had his A game,” said Draisaitl.
“I wouldn’t want to put myself in the opposition (shoes) but sometimes he’s just too good. Sometimes he’s just unstoppable.”
‘Going about our business’
McDavid hates talking about himself. Have we said that before?
“Leon and I usually know what the other one is thinking and he’s obviously such a special player and then you throw in a guy like (Kassian) who opens up so much ice and plays so hard and gets in the forecheck, it only adds to it,” he said.
So, spreading the applause around.
Draisaitl and McDavid are in competition in the scoring race, but not when the puck’s dropped.
“We’re just going about our business,” he said.
“There’s nights when you don’t have it and others when you do. Our passing was just on tonight.”
Gagner was in the press box as a healthy scratch Thursday and, yes, he was paying attention to McDavid’s six points after two periods.
“I’m sure Gags was getting nervous up there,” said Oscar Klefbom.
But McDavid only played four shifts in the third.
Fans booed when Ryan Graves got a high-sticking penalty with just over three minutes left and coach Dave Tippett never looked at McDavid.
No sense of history?
No sense of rubbing it in is more like it. They play the Avs in two weeks in Denver.
Twitter: @NHLbyMatty