Connor McDavid shifts pressure on to Ducks after Oilers survive elimination

Though a game-time decision, Connor McDavid made sure not to miss Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs series against the Anaheim Ducks. As the Edmonton Oilers won on home ice to force a Game 6 back in Anaheim, McDavid voiced a bold comment on which team is under the most pressure.

“We’re still in a really tough spot. We’ve got to find a way to win in a tough building. All we did is survive one more day. The pressure is still on us, but it’s a big game for them too,” McDavid admitted, via NHL.com. “I’m sure they’ll be feeling that too. I’m sure they’re not going to want to come back to Edmonton. Pressure on them. We’ve got to find a way to survive another day.”

The Oilers will only face elimination games going forward in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Edmonton must take it one game at a time, though. If McDavid and company get too far ahead of themselves, they might run into even more trouble.

Ducks sense the pressure as Oilers put up a fight

Though the Oilers’ backs are against the wall, the Ducks aren’t in for a walk in the park, either. If Anaheim can’t close out the series in Game 6, it will be in for a cortisol-spiking Game 7 back in the Gateway to the North.

Connor McDavid at Crypto.com Arena

Though the Ducks’ squad features several NHL veterans, they may not be able to withstand a win-or-go-home matchup against the likes of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard, and company. Something’s clicked for Edmonton. Maybe, playing with no margin for error was all the Oilers needed to find their best hockey.

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McDavid is back, and so are the Oilers

The McDavid-Draisaitl duo came to life in Game 5, as they combined for two goals in the 4-1 triumph. McDavid has been battling through a lower-body setback since Game 2. However, during the Oilers’ third home game of the series, he finally looked like his best self again. As a result, McDavid ended the night with two assists and—most importantly—a crucial win to keep his team’s NHL season alive.

Perhaps the series’ momentum has shifted. Anaheim may have its last chance to send Edmonton home in Orange County. Yet if the series returns to Alberta, it might as well be all she wrote for the Ducks. McDavid said it best: the pressure is still on the Oilers to survive one more day in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but the Ducks are surely growing anxious as they realize Edmonton refuses to go out.

If Edmonton makes it out of California in one piece, it will become a whole new series. Against all odds, the Oilers may force a Game 7, and anything can happen in a one-game showdown.