Woodcroft: McDavid's will to win inspiring Oilers

Connor McDavid is playing at an incredible level through nine games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the rest of the Edmonton Oilers know it.

McDavid was instrumental in Edmonton tying its second-round series against the Calgary Flames at 1-1 on Friday night, recording a goal and an assist in a 5-3 win to give him a league-leading 20 points in the postseason.

"The way this guy is playing right now, it's special. He's driving our team forward," interim head coach Jay Woodcroft said, according to The Athletic's Daniel Nugent-Bowman. "We got a lot of really good efforts from a lot of people tonight. But the way Connor is playing is very inspiring."

Woodcroft added: "Connor is the best hockey player in the world. He's willing to pay a price to win. He's driven to win. He has an effect on everybody in our organization with that desire to take his game to the next level."

McDavid has produced at a historic pace so far this postseason; Wayne Gretzky (on four occasions) and Mike Bossy (1981) are the only players in league history to record 20 points in fewer than nine games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, according to NHL Public Relations.

"He's taking his game to another level and that's hard to do already. He's pushing his own limits. That's what special players do," said Oilers forward Zach Hyman. "He's leading our team in every aspect. Last game, he had the most hits on our team. He's doing it all. He's a huge reason why we're here."

McDavid now has 42 points in 30 career playoff games. The Oilers reached Game 7 of the second round in 2017 but failed to win a series in their next two postseason appearances.

The Oilers and Flames will meet in Game 3 on Sunday in Edmonton.

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