When the stakes are unusually high, legends don’t just show up but carry the weight. “I’ve been fortunate to be part of good teams. Last year we were a great team, and we were just one or two shots away from winning,” the Edmonton Oilers captain, Connor McDavid, said when his team won the Conference Finals and qualified to play against the Florida Panthers in the series final once again. While Kris Knoblauch’s squad now trails 3-2 after losing Game 5, it’s impossible to overlook the backbone that brought them here, right?

Because the Oilers might not have even seen the light of the finals without his grit and leadership. It was his crucial assist on Corey Perry’s power-play goal in the opening period against the Dallas Stars that etched McDavid’s name in the NHL record books, making him the second-fastest player in history to reach the 100-point playoff milestone. But there’s more to the captain’s story. And now, as the series unfolds into a crucial final series, the Oilers, despite losing 5-2 against the Cats, recorded another milestone in the name of their leader. But what?

Kris Knoblauch spoke to the media on Sunday morning and addressed how Connor McDavid’s first goal of the series earned him a lot. “A lot of it being unfortunate. I think there’s been a lot of good scoring chances for him. Nice to see that he got a very nice goal last night,” Knoblauch stated when asked about the shot he made in particular despite making five assists in the game. “I’ve got no issues with his game. Obviously, our team relies heavily on him and how they’re playing. I think it’s tight checking for everyone,” he further stated.

McDavid’s first goal of the Stanley Cup final came in the third period on Saturday, making the captain the third-fastest player to reach the milestone. He recorded 150 career points in 95 games played so far and hey, it just put him a little behind the great ones—Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, who did it in 68 and 86 games, respectively. While the goal did earn him a personal milestone, it also gave some hope if not redemption to the game that the Oilers were losing already. One perfect shot in the third period and the Oilers cut the lead to 3-1, only until Sam Reinhart restored the Panthers’ dominance.

While he leads with 33 points, this postseason—7 goals and 26 assists in 21 games so far—Knoblauch thinks that his scoring chances are limited as the team faces tough opponents like the Panthers. “It’s not going to be a mid-season game against a non-playoff team when sometimes he’s had 10 or 12 scoring chances. Those numbers are obviously reduced playing against a good team like Florida,” Knoblauch said. But he didn’t stop there: “But I think Connor’s been one of our best players every single night and that’s what we expect.” Knoblauch for one, knows how his leadership and confidence speak louder than the stats.

While McDavid’s result sounded like some sort of relief, the Oilers’ goaltending decisions is still a cause for concern for the head coach.

Kris Knoblauch’s goalie conundrum continues ahead of Game 6!

While the Oilers now gear up for another crucial round against the Panthers in the Final series, their goaltending is putting them under a lot of pressure. It was at the beginning of the series when Knoblauch decided to replace Stuart Skinner with Calvin Pickard, with Pickard as the starting goalie in game 5; however, the upcoming game 6 decision is still elusive for Knoblauch!

“That’s a conversation with the staff, obviously our goaltending coach, Dustin Schwartz, but with all assistance, the general manager and kind of weigh in how everyone feels and what’s best moving forward. It’s not an easy decision,” he gave a firm reply. Whether it’s Pickard or Stuart Skinner once again, the head coach admits that their stats are pretty strikingly similar in order to draw a conclusion! But with little chance on their side, it’s too late to still be contemplating.

“We’ve shown that they can pretty well, win hockey games, and we feel that no matter who we choose, they can win the game,” he further spoke, but choosing Pickard for Game 5 didn’t work well for the Oilers. But, in order to make their Stanley Cup dream true, the Oilers need to step into survival mode and plan for a strategy that works not just in paper, but for real as well.