Game 7: Red Wings vs. Oilers

 #Oilers #OilersNation You'd have to think Connor McDavid would have been excited about playing against legendary players like Pavel Datsyuk.  But, alas, Pavel still injured.

What's exciting for us is seeing #97 quickly adapt to the much higher-level game than he's been used to.  Even though we are only 6 games in, they've been against tough teams, and the butterflies appear to have flown away.  His learning curve isn't as steep as many other players and as each game progresses and he actually plays against top players, he will only up his game to their level sooner than most.

Many have compared Nugent-Hopkins to Datsyuk, but when you see McDavid split defensemen with poise and grace, you can only think of him being "Datsyukian".

What will we call McDavid's magic moves then other than McDavid-like?

"McDavidian"?  Reminds me of the "Branch Davidian" compound of David Koresh in Waco, Texas.  So, no.

"McDavidish"?  Too close to MacTavish and we need less and less of that.

"McMagic"?  Too Magic Johnson perhaps?

"Big Mac D"?  Oh, I give up.

Many would like to end the McJesus moniker.  So would I.  Ryan Smyth was and will always be the Oilers Jesus.

Or maybe his name just stands alone and we just say, "Wow! That was a classic 'Connor McDavid' move."

Oil & Gas Hockey has just learned that 60 Minutes of all things will be doing a feature on Connor McDavid, something they've been working on for 18 months now.  This will mean Edmonton gets some exposure.  Or maybe not.

I'll be at the game tonight, so we'll see first-hand if Datsyuk needs to pass the torch.

Oilers line-up:  Hendricks on IR so Andrew Miller called up for Slepyshev/Klinkhammer on the top line. Gazdic sits.  Reinhart injured so likely Ference is in.

 

Hall-Nuge-Miller

Pouliot-McDavid-Yakupov

Korpikoski-Lander-Purcell

Slepyshev-Letestu-Klinkhammer

 

Klefbom-Schultz

Sekera-Fayne

Gryba-Ference

 

Talbot

Red Wings:

Abdelkader-Zetterberg-Larkin

Nyquist-Sheahan-Tatar

Helm-Richards-Pulkkinen

Miller-Glendening-Ferraro

 

Kronwall-Ericsson

DeKeyser-Green

Quincey-Kindl

 

Mrazek

This is going to a fast-passed possession game and the first Eastern Team on the schedule.  Don't forget, it's also Coach McLellan's old team where he assisted behind Mike Babcock.  While they have a new coach, I think Todd McLellan will out-coach them.  (Also note Detroit's AHL coach is former Oilers coach Todd Nelson.)  Enough Todd's for ya?

If you see me at the game in a signed Eberle jersey with Oilers hat, that's me.  Yeah, good luck with that!