McDavid was engaged in a board battle with Canucks defenseman Carson Soucy when he appeared to deliberately clip the defenseman in the visor with his stick. He certainly made no attempt to make a play on the puck in this instance. Some fans noted that it looked intentional, which is somewhat hard to disagree with in this case.
Needless to say, fans were not particularly thrilled about the play. Oilers fans probably didn't even notice the play and if they did, many likely just shrugged it off. That's playoff hockey right?
Not exactly. While the standard for a penalty call is generally much higher in the playoffs, the Oilers have had no issues whatsoever generating powerplay opportunities in this series. The Oilers have had 18 opportunities on the man advantage in the series so far, averaging three per game despite just one powerplay in game one.
This particular play could very well be an attempt at a little bit of revenge for McDavid. After all, Soucy cross-checked McDavid at the final buzzer in game four which lead to a one-game suspension for the defenseman. It was an unfortunately timing play as Nikita Zadorov happened to cross check McDavid in the back at the same time.
Regardless, it all comes down to tonight. One of these teams will be heading to the golf course and one will be heading to the Western Conference finals to take on the Dallas Stars. Be sure to tune in to see how it shakes out.
POLL | ||
How many penalties do you think will be called in game seven between the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks tonight? | ||
2 or less | 15 | 11.5 % |
3-4 | 57 | 43.8 % |
5-6 | 33 | 25.4 % |
7+ | 25 | 19.2 % |
List of polls |