EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — When the Edmonton Oilers needed a spark to open the Stanley Cup Final, Leon Draisaitl scored just more than a minute in.
When they needed the tying goal after falling behind to the defending champion Florida Panthers, Connor McDavid delivered the perfect pass.
And when Game 1 was threatening to drag into a second overtime, McDavid found Draisaitl for the winner.
Draisaitl and McDavid took over Wednesday night when it mattered most, delivering a series-opening 4-3 victory that put them three wins from the championship they’ve been working toward for a decade.
“They don’t take many nights off, that’s for sure,” teammate Brett Kulak said. “They usually are our top guys every single night, and the bigger the stage the better they get.”
Playing through pain, Draisaitl did not score a goal in the final last year, when Edmonton lost the first three games, got back even and dropped a heartbreaker in Game 7 to fall short. Healthier now than during that run, he needed only 66 seconds to get on the board.
“There’s maybe nobody better,” McDavid said.
An MVP finalist from a dominant regular season, Draisaitl was one of the best players on the ice all game and finished it with a power-play goal 19:29 into OT.
“He’s a top-three player in the world,” Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm said. “He just looks very confident, very comfortable and he’s doing his thing.”
So was McDavid, who fed Ekholm for the equalizer with 13:27 left in regulation. McDavid skated the puck through the zone and made everything happen late in overtime, too, with Draisaitl on the receiving end of a pass and thankful McDavid and everyone else made it easier for him to hammer a shot home.
“It’s a special feeling,” Draisaitl said. “It’s great for right now but we’ve got to look ahead and get ready for Game 2.”
Edmonton forward Kasperi Kapanen, who nearly scored a few minutes earlier when he got in all alone, was almost speechless trying to explain what it’s like watching McDavid and Draisaitl summon more playoff magic.
“I don’t really have words for you guys,” Kapanen said. “These guys are generational talents and future Hall of Famers, for sure.”
McDavid has taken home the Hart Trophy three times, led the NHL in scoring five times and last year won the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP in a losing effort. Draisaitl has also won the Hart, the Art Ross for most points and the Rocket Richard for the most goals.
What they have not won together is the Stanley Cup, the trophy that was brought out onto a table on the ice just before puck drop. Thanks to McDavid and Draisaitl, the Oilers are another step closer to the franchise’s first title in 35 years, and them raising their play at the most crucial of times was not at all surprising to those around them.
“I’ve seen them do it many times,” goaltender Stuart Skinner said. “Hopefully I’m able to see them do it a lot more.”
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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
