It had to be him.
Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid went through quite the rollercoaster in the extra frames of Game 1, but he ended up the hero, scoring the game-winner early into double OT as the Oilers grabbed a 1-0 series lead over the Dallas Stars.
However, things in overtime didn’t exactly start smoothly for the Oilers captain.
Just 17 seconds into the first extra frame, McDavid was assessed a double-minor for high sticking Stars forward Matt Duchene.
With No. 97 in the box, the Oilers’ penalty kill continued their stellar post-season (92.5 per cent) and killed off the four-minute penalty to allow a rested and motivated McDavid to jump back on the ice.
How did McDavid feel while sitting in the box?
“Miserable, I hated every second of it,” he said after the game.
McDavid was clearly determined to make up for the penalty, and nearly ended the game in the first overtime if not for a heroic stick save from Stars netminder Jake Oettinger.
But McDavid would finally get the last laugh just as the second overtime began, redirecting a great pass from defenceman Evan Bouchard past Oettinger just 32 seconds in.
After the game, McDavid apologized to everyone for not ending the game on his chance in the first OT.
“Apologies to everyone for keeping them up a little longer,” McDavid said to the NHL on TNT panel. “Should’ve gone in. Has to go in. He’s a good goalie and he scrambles to make good plays. But I mean, it has to go in.”
Thanks to his game-winner, most Oilers fans will surely forgive him for the delayed bedtime.
