MCDAVID QUIET, BUT PRICE SOMEHOW RAISES BAR
Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers are struggling, while Max Domi and the Arizona Coyotes are flourishing. Mike Babcock is human, Carey Price is not, and goalies seem to hate the 3- on- 3 overtime.
The NHL season is a week old, but there appears to be no shortage of storylines. Here are some things that we are talking about:
MC DAVIDIS NOT MC JESUS
It turns out Edmonton’s problems are bigger than an 18- year- old can fix. Who knew? Chances are McDavid will find his footing and have a spectacular rookie campaign and career. But for now, he looks a lot like Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent- Hopkins and Nail Yakupov did in their first year: lost.
Part of this is because he is a teenager playing in a grownup game. But the bigger part is that he is playing for an Oilers team that has a culture of losing ingrained in its players.
Edmonton is without a win, having lost to Nashville, Dallas and twice to St. Louis. The Oilers have scored five goals in four games and allowed 13 in that span.
“It’s not going to get any easier ( for McDavid),” Hall told reporters following a 4- 2 loss to the Blues on Thursday. “That’s the NHL, man. We’ve been losing to St. Louis for, like, five years now. We’re going to have to find a way to beat St. Louis and the L. A.’ s.?
THEREARE OTHER ROOKIE S
Teemu Selanne scored a record 76 goals as a rookie to win the Calder Trophy in 1993. And while it is unlikely any rookie will surpass those numbers this season, the retired forward has been impressed by this year’s freshman crop, especially with those not named Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel.
“What a year for NHL rookies,” he tweeted Thursday. “Who will win the rookie of the year? My pick is the Great Tie Domi’s son Max.”
Though everyone expected McDavid ( one goal in four games) and Eichel ( two goals in four games) to battle it out for the Calder Trophy, so far the rookie race is wide open.
New York Rangers forward Oscar Lindberg leads all firstyear players with four goals in five games, while Arizona’s Domi ( three goals and three assists) and Anthony Duclair ( four goals and two assists) have combined for seven goals and 12 points.
From Chicago’s Artemi Panarin ( five points) and Detroit’s Dylan Larkin ( four points) to Dallas’ Mattias Janmark ( four points) and Winnipeg ’s Nikolaj Ehlers ( three points), McDavid and Eichel clearly have company.
PRICE’S MVP NO FLUKE
As good as the Montreal Canadiens goaltender was last season, when he won every major award he was eligible for, he is managing to raise the bar even higher.
The Canadiens are a perfect 5- 0- 0 and once again their
goaltender is a major reason why. Price has a shutout, a ridiculous .957 save percentage and an almost unfair 1.25 goals- against average. But give his teammates credit. Price has had to face more than 35 shots just once.
Still, his workload has been anything but easy or routine. Price was forced to make highlight- reel save after highlight- reel save in a 3- 0 win against the Rangers on Thursday, with Montreal successfully killing five penalties.