“It’s about bailing each other out sometimes and finding ways to work through the mistakes,” said a beaming Ryan Nugent-Hopkins after the Oilers got on level terms with Dallas in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. With that, the Edmonton forward pointed out how important it is for the team to band together and have each other’s backs. And no one seems to have their back covered more than Edmonton captain, Connor McDavid.

The Pacific Division’s third-place finishers wriggled out a massive 3-0 victory against the Dallas Stars yesterday. And now, as Game 3 waits to head back to the Oilers Nation, it looks like things are getting heated up. Courtesy? The Stars’ coach took a sly dig at Connor McDavid following Darnell Nurse’s slashing on Roope Hintz’s right leg in the third period of Gam 2. But the Oilers’ coach believes such potshots are only warranted when you’re one of the best at your job.

“Does anyone in this room think if Connor McDavid gets carried off the ice like that, it’s not a 5-minute major?” Pete DeBoer asked the reporters during the post-match presser on May 23. With that sentence, the Dallas boss made it clear that he thought that the NHL turned a blind eye to Nurse’s slashing on his player. However, in a post on X by TSN from May 24, the Oilers’ coach, Kris Knoblauch, brushed off the allegations coming at his squad captain.

“Obviously, after a game, you’re emotional, especially when your player doesn’t return,” Knoblauch said with a frown. “But to say that Connor McDavid gets preferential treatment, you know, I’ve been coaching for 200 games, and I haven’t seen Connor get that special treatment,” the Edmonton boss asserted.

“Probably he gets a standard that’s higher for him,” said the coach with a hint of a grin, suggesting that Conor McDavid’s phenomenal talent warrants that he is judged against a more strict benchmark than most of his peers. “I just see how many times he gets slashed and hooked and throughout the regular season and playoffs. So I think the standard is actually against him,” Coach Knoblauch reiterated how he thought the Oilers’ forward often needs to deal with much more than just on-ice opponents.

However, it’s not like McDavid is always the model hockey player that he’s made out to be by the Edmonton coach. Between the regular season match between the Oilers and the Canucks in January, the Edmonton captain was being help down Vancouver players in what resembled the MMA. And yet, the refs seemed to keep their eyes elsewhere. Figuring he won’t be receiving much help from the officials, Connor took matters into his own hands and cross-checked Vancouver’s Conor Garland in the helmet, earning himself a three-match suspension.

Unbothered by the verdict, McDavid returned to the roster soon and showed his worth by scoring against the Seattle Kraken on the comeback. But this isn’t the regular season anymore, and the stakes are higher than ever.

Connor McDavid’s hopes for maiden Stanley Cup look bright

The Oilers qualified for the 2025 playoffs after finishing third in the Pacific Division. However, it was almost like the postseason brought out an entirely different side for Knoblauch’s boys. Defeating both the second and top seeds of the division in the first and second rounds, respectively, Connor McDavid & Co. proved that they aren’t in the Cup race just for the kicks.

What’s more, by eliminating the LA Kings from the playoffs this year, the Oilers have now done so for four consecutive years. Before the brush against the Vegas Golden Knights in Round 2, McDavid mentioned that the prospect of getting revenge for Leon Draisaitl was what made the upcoming best-of-7 series exciting for him and his teammates.

Now, with all things in the rearview mirror, the Oilers will look to make the most of home ice advantage as the Western Conference Finals head back to Edmonton for Games 3 and 4. And things are heating up. “A lot of that stuff, you just keep in the back of your mind, and if the opportunity presents itself then, you take your chance.,” said the Stars’ Mason Marchment ahead of Game 3, who himself narrowly missed getting suspended for his actions against the Winnipeg Jets in Round 2.

However, Dallas will need more than just tall claims to make it count. With the Oilers’ netminder, Stuart Skinner, being on a roll (three shutouts in his last four playoff starts), Pete DeBoer’s squad will have to bring out their A-game. But Connor McDavid ain’t going to make things easy either. So, how do you suspect Coach Knoblauch’s boys holding the fort in the upcoming bout? Tell us below!