McDavid had the perfect response after ending his scoring slump
It hasn’t been the season we all expected from Connor McDavid.
The Edmonton Oilers captain has struggled to reach the historic pace he set in last season’s 64-goal and 153-point campaign. Through 12 games, McDavid has just three goals and 12 points. Those numbers may sound good, but they are not the gaudy totals that hockey fans have come to expect from the 26-year-old.
Coming into Monday night’s game against the New York Islanders, McDavid was in one of the longest scoring slumps of his career, having not earned a single point in the previous three games. Luckily, he was able to put that narrative to bed, scoring a goal and nabbing two points in a 4-1 win.
Following the game, McDavid spoke with Sportsnet’s Gene Principe and poked fun at the now-busted scoring slump.
“It’s nice, I remember how to score,” said McDavid. “It’s been a couple games, but it was nice to see one go [in the net].”
"It's nice, I remember how to score." š
Connor McDavid joins @GenePrincipe after the Oilers defeated the Islanders 4-1. pic.twitter.com/tc4sJcQswI
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 14, 2023
Breaking the slump couldn’t have come at a better time for the Oilers. The teams were deadlocked 1-1 in the third period when McDavid fed Zach Hyman in front of the net for the game-winning goal on the power-play.
Zach in front š pic.twitter.com/9iVgpLoWBV
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 14, 2023
McDavid then gave the team some insurance just a few minutes later, squeaking one through the pads of Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin for another power-play goal. It was his first goal since his highlight-reel marker against the Nashville Predators on October 17.
WINNING AT HOME >>>>>>>>>#LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/Hj0eqwbDDG
ā Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 14, 2023
It was only a matter of time before the reigning Hart Trophy winner rediscovered his scoring touch.
Now that the team is rolling on its first two-game winning streak of the year and a new coach is behind the bench in Kris Knoblauch, perhaps this is the start of something positive for both McDavid and the Oilers.