Superstar forward Connor McDavid scored the overtime goal to send the Edmonton Oilers to the Western Conference Final but made sure his line-mate Leon Draisaitl joined his name in the headlines.
The Oilers, 11/2 to win the Stanley Cup in 2021/22, won a wild Game 5 against the Calgary Flames on Thursday with McDavid capping the 5-4 win and 4-1 series victory at 5.03 in the overtime period.
Draisaitl with another assist
26-year-old Draisaitl assisted the winner, his fourth helper of the game and 17th point of the series, the joint-most by any player in history through a five-game series.
McDavid, 25, had 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in the five games.
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The pair lead the playoffs with 26 points each, both scoring a matching seven goals, 19 assists. Their astonishing points tally over 12 games is 11 more than any other player.
McDavid hails team-mate
Edmonton will face the Colorado Avalanche or St. Louis Blues in the Conference Final, their first since 2006. The Oilers progression has been an admitted relief for McDavid and Draisaitl, who despite huge individual success in their NHL careers, had only previously won one playoff round, in 2017 against the San Jose Sharks.
McDavid led the NHL in scoring in the regular season with 123 points (44 goals, 79 assists) in 80 games. Draisaitl was fourth with 110 points (55 goals, 55 assists). The Oilers finished second in the Pacific Division with a 49-27-6 record.
McDavid said about Draisaitl: "He was amazing, and that's all you can really say. It's hard to put into words how amazing he was out there, in every game. Every single game, he dominated from start to finish, and it was fun to watch."
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