Moritz Seider, Andrew Copp, and Derek Lalonde reflect on their efforts to corral McDavid during the Red Wings' 3-2 OT loss Thursday night
Moritz Seider, Andrew Copp, and Derek Lalonde reflect on their efforts to corral McDavid during the Red Wings' 3-2 OT loss Thursday night
There was something confusing about the Detroit Red Wings' 3-2 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers Thursday night.
On the one hand, there was a 47-17 advantage in shots and a highlight reel goal for Oilers captain Connor McDavid. On the other was the sense that despite the wide shot margin and the moment of individual brilliance, Detroit had done reasonably good work in corralling the unquestioned top player in the world.
"Grade A chances, he was involved in almost 13," said Derek Lalonde this afternoon of McDavid's performance. "We go through games with only giving up 12 or 13...It was unbelievable watching it back, but again, I thought we did a pretty good job of limiting it, not giving them second chances, bending and not breaking...I haven't seen a player take over a game like that in a long time."
Dylan Larkin's line with Lucas Raymond and David Perron, along with the defense pair of Moritz Seider and Jake Walman, shouldered the brunt of the McDavid match-up, and Lalonde was pleased with what he saw...but still McDavid found a way to burn the Red Wings.
"I was happy with Larkin's game. I was happy with Mo's game. And [McDavid] just dominated the game. On the whole we did a pretty good job," Lalonde said.
"I think it's a good mix of staying patient and then waiting for the right moment to strike and hopefully get the puck," said Seider of trying to keep McDavid off the board. "I had a lot of fun playing against McDavid. I think we did a really good job of trying to shut him down as much as possible. The [Zach] Hyman goal off the face-off is just a coincidence of a lot of bounces, and then he just finds a way to get the puck in. The other goal, I think a lot of people thought it was gonna be an offsides, but we just can't stop playing, and I think that's something we've got to take away from that game. Overall, I think we did a pretty solid job. Their power play was running hot, and we found a way to give ourselves a chance to win the game."
Andrew Copp offered a more detailed explanation as to the unique way McDavid forces a team to focus on defending at the expense of offense.
"A lot of your focus can end up on defending," Copp explained. "They sustain possession pretty well. They're high flying, but in the offensive zone, I think you saw Hyman a lot, that second line was really holding pucks low and making us defend for long periods of time. I think that's the biggest thing, and then, once you do get the puck out, you're either dumping and changing or you're not as on your toes on the forecheck. So that's pretty cyclical. When you can sustain O zone possession for long periods of time, that really puts the team back on their heels and gets them behind the change a little bit. It's tough to overcome when it's shift after shift. When that happens, it's tough to get rushes, it's tough to sustain a forecheck. I thought we did a decent job when we did, but it's a really good team. We gotta defend first, we gotta defend harder, and end plays earlier, so that at the 20 second mark, we're forechecking instead of at the 40 second mark we get it out."
And even then, chipping the puck out of the zone isn't enough to secure safety. Without forcing play to the other end of the rink, McDavid is just a reload away from danger.
"The hardest thing is that you gotta make plays against them," Copp continued. "You can't just chip it out because then McDavid crosses over, wheels with speed, and they're coming right back at you. So you can't just defend, chip, defend, chip, defend, chip. You gotta defend, make a play, then chip and forecheck hard and make them defend. That's the difference."
When asked whether it becomes difficult to focus on your own game when so preoccupied with a player like McDavid, Copp said, "You try not to. I think you [need to] be hyper aware when you have the puck, especially coming through the neutral zone. Any turnover can lead to them crossing over, and then they're gone. Offensive zone, you try not to force things, but you gotta sustain O zone [time]. That's the best way to make Connor McDavid human is make him defend."
In the end, Detroit delivered a sound defensive performance last night, but against a "unicorn" like McDavid, to borrow Lalonde's term, sound wasn't enough for a full 60 minutes, and the Oilers came away with the overtime victory.
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