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The Vancouver Canucks are about to take on the massive task of attempting to slow down Connor McDavid for an entire playoff series.
The Edmonton Oilers star had a league-best 12 points in five first-round games. He’s widely regarded as the best player in the league and usually takes his game to another level in the postseason.
“There’s a lot,” stated Elias Lindholm about the challenges in slowing down McDavid. The two played against each other numerous times when Lindholm was with the Calgary Flames.
“Obviously, his speed is really dangerous. He’s a really good player. I think there’s times where a player like that, through seven games — he’s going to have his moments. It’s just shift-to-shift and focus, every time he’s out there you’ve got to be ready.”
The Canucks did a good job of limiting McDavid’s effectiveness during the regular season. The star had just three points and was -4 during the three games he played against the Pacific Division champions.
“We can’t change our whole defensive system for McDavid, but there are things that we can do to combat him,” said head coach Rick Tocchet about the team’s plan.
“The best defence is having the puck, so we’d like to hold onto pucks… You’ve got to keep the puck; you can’t throw the puck away.”
“He’s going to get his looks. Hopefully, we can contain some of those looks, but there’s nobody better in the league through the neutral zone. If you backwards skate or you can take a bad angle, you’re dead.”
“Be between him and the net all the time,” continued defenceman Nikita Zadorov when asked about the keys to playing against McDavid. “He’s super dangerous off the rush, he’s super dangerous one-on-one.”
“It’s not only me; it’s a five-unit job on the ice to check him, skate in front of him, don’t give him any room, take the ice away.”
“He’s really good at creating open ice and then he can exploit you with his power, with his skill. He’s a world-class player, one of the best in the world for a reason… We’re excited for the challenge.”
The first game of the second-round series between these two teams takes place on Wednesday. It’s easy to game plan for McDavid, it’s a lot harder to stop him, and Game 1 will be the first indication of how successful the Canucks will be.