"Sometimes you forget to attack": Connor McDavid's lack of offense in Oilers-Canucks series criticized by P.K. Subban

By Abhishek Dilta

Modified May 21, 2024 02:26 GMT

Former NHLer P.K. Subban had some thoughts about Connor McDavid's offensive performance in the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks series ahead of their Game 7 clash.

Subban criticized that McDavid, being the best player on the Oilers, should be shooting the puck more. He pointed out that sometimes he gets too focused on being a facilitator and forgets to be aggressive and attack the net.

Here's what Subban said of Connor McDavid's offensive performance in the series:

"Which player on the Edmonton Oilers do you want shooting the puck more than Connor McDavid? He's the best player, and here for me, is he 100% or not because he's got an open net here? All he's gonna do is put in the open net," Subban said.

He continued:

"He chooses not to, and sometimes when you get into this passive-aggressive mode of being a facilitator, sometimes you forget to attack, and this guy has built his career on attacking defenses, attacking goaltenders, and keeping them honest. I think he's got to get little more aggressive around the net."

Subban clarified that he's not trying to dictate or tell McDavid how to play offensively. Instead, he expressed his opinion that the Oilers captain could benefit from being more of a shooter in certain situations.

The former NHLer reckons that McDavid can take more shots on goal and would like to see him do so in the final game of the series:

"I'm not telling Connor McDavid how to play offensively at all, but I think he can be a little bit more of a shooter at times, and I'd like to see him do that. But who knows? Maybe he's not 100%. I don't know," Subban added.

Connor McDavid hasn't been as successful in scoring goals against the Vancouver Canucks in the series. He has only managed to find the back of the net once during Game 2. However, when it comes to assisting on goals, the Edmonton Oilers captain has been an exceptional playmaker.

He has accumulated nine points so far, with two games where he provided three or more assists. Despite his lower goal-scoring numbers, McDavid's playmaking skills have been quite impressive throughout the series against the Canucks.

Connor McDavid expects Game 7 to be "highly" competitive

On Saturday, the Oilers leveled the series 3-3 after securing a commanding 5-1 win in Game 6 over the Canucks at Rogers Place.

McDavid was one of the key players in the matchup, ending the night with three points. In the post-game media availability, McDavid said that he expects Game 7 to be "highly competitive" (via NHL.com):

“Nothing to be satisfied or excited about. We just bought ourselves another day, and I would expect the same level of urgency and desperation from our group,” McDavid said. “I would expect Vancouver to play a better game as well, and I would expect it to be a highly competitive, great Game 7.”

McDavid has notched up 21 points through two goals and 19 assists in the playoffs so far, making him the second-leading scorer in the post-season after teammate Leon Draisaitl (23 points).

Meanwhile, Game 7 of the Round 2 series between the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks is underway at Rogers Arena. The winner of the series takes on the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference finals.