"Let's hope it's the last time": McDavid reflects on crushing Oilers exit

Connor McDavid is hoping this is the final disappointment he and his Edmonton Oilers teammates are forced to go through in the playoffs.

Entering the postseason, the Oilers were looked at as a favourite to go the distance, but instead find themselves heading home after being eliminated in the second round by the Vegas Golden Knights.

“It feels like every team that wins and goes on a stretch of winning kind of experiences this,” McDavid said shortly after Game 6 had concluded. “Obviously it’s not what you want to do, not what you want to feel. That being said, I really feel that we have to go through some of this to win. I think we’ve seen that all the way through.

“Let’s hope it’s the last time.”

Though the Oilers fought hard, this game, like most of the series, simply seemed to be won by the better team.

“They did a lot of good things,” McDavid said. “They shut it down, their third period was clinical. We still had our looks and didn’t find a way to get one past them.”

The Oilers had control through the opening 20 minutes of this game, as they entered the first intermission with a 2-1 lead. For the second straight outing, however, they fell apart shortly after, allowing the Golden Knights to score three unanswered in the second period.

“I thought in Game 5 they had a better second period than us, Game 6 they had a better second period. We couldn’t claw our way back,” McDavid added.

"We’ve gotta go through some of this to win…let’s hope it’s the last time."

Connor McDavid speaks after the season-ending Game 6 loss. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/7GBbumvDfc

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) May 15, 2023

After a career-best 153-point season, McDavid continued to produce in the playoffs with 20 points in 12 outings. The 27-year-old is a near guarantee to win this year’s Hart Trophy Award, which he was named a finalist for just days ago. His quest for a Stanley Cup, however, will have to wait at least one more year.

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