“I have not seen that,” Connor McDavid BLASTS Canucks Coach Rick Tocchet’s late-game tactics following 8-1 HUMILIATING loss
Connor McDavid was left frustrated by the tactics of Canucks coach Rick Torchet in his team's 8-1 demolition of the Oilers.
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Connor McDavid (L) and Rick Tocchet (R) [Pic Credit: X]
The Edmonton Oilers and their captain, Connor McDavid, endured a tough start to the new season as they were hammered away 8-1. The gigantic loss against the Vancouver Canucks stunned everyone. As a result, coach Jay Woodcraft labeled this defeat “egg-laying,” as they had no answers to the offense of their opponents. Moreover, McDavid was left frustrated and vented out against the Canucks’s coach Rick Tocchet and his late-game tactics.
In one-sided matches like this, it is often seen that the team leading takes the gas off the pedal. That was not the case here, as the Canucks continued to ride high and enjoyed their time on the ice field. Another move that stunned everyone was when Tocchet took off starting goalkeeper Thatcher Demko for backup goalie Casey DeSmith.
Perhaps McDavid was upset and was not in the mood for talk. He thought this move was disrespectful and called out the opposition coach for these antics. “Throwing the backup goalie in with 10 minutes left, I have not seen that,” the reigning MVP said.
However, he would later term this development as “interesting.” The Canucks would clarify the situation and inform that Demko was down with an illness and was thus replaced. It was something that many did not know about.
Connor McDavid left frustrated by Canucks’ usage of power play
McDavid has been regarded as one of the greatest players of this generation. He is also one of the most competitive, as he tries to do better and better for the team. However, such a defeat can leave even the best players frustrated. This was the case with Canadian International, as he had no answers whatsoever to the offense of the opposition.
The decision of the Canucks to replace their goaltender and the usage of the first power-play unit left McDavid baffled. He said, “And yeah anytime you roll out the first power play unit (is) not ideal, but never a situation you want to be in, and obviously we don’t like that.”
The final power play the Canucks used came with six minutes remaining in the third period. At that time, the score was 6-1 in their favor. Though it was difficult, the chances of scoring five goals in the remaining period with McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were still there.
The Oilers had another chance to avenge this defeat when they took on the Canucks again. However, luck seems not to be on their side, as they suffered another defeat at their hands. A 4-3 loss on Saturday night sees them rooted at the bottom of the Western Conference Pacific Division table. They take on the Nashville Predators next, hoping to get their season started.
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Vinay Dave
(1869 Articles Published)