The morning skate complete, Lauri Korpikoski headed down a tunnel beneath the stands at the Scottrade Center.
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Now, it’s Connor McDavid’s turn to wear the label and carry the burden that goes with all that hype. I’ve said this to you guys before, we’re going to make our mind up based on performance by the end of October. No disrespect to the other two outdoor games this season, this is the one to watch. Taking to the rink, he circled slowly, juggling a puck on the blade of his stick. With that in mind, defenseman Andrew Ference relinquished the team’s captaincy and elected to join Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins as alternates in 2015-16.
New Jersey Devils goaltender Cory Schneider expects McDavid to be “the real deal” and says he “seems to be that Sidney Crosby-type player”. He sparked the Oilers by recording a team-leading five assists in preseason contests.
Oilers coach Todd McLellan, hired in May after spending seven seasons with the San Jose Sharks, has already gotten accustomed to receiving questions about McDavid. “Certainly, I am a little nervous”.
Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre left Thursday’s AL Division Series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays in tears after hurting his back on a slide. McDavid’s going to be a good player.
His first official game was played before a full house, on a warm night a few blocks from the Mississippi River.
Before the game, thousands of Blues fans gathered in the shadows of the arena for a pep rally, with a smattering of spectators dressed in Oilers gear.
“I just feel more relaxed today”, McDavid told the Edmonton Journal on Friday at Bridgestone Arena, where the Oilers will play the Nashville Predators on Saturday.
“I came off the bench and saw the play there and I wasn’t sure if he saw or heard me”, Fabbri said. The Coyotes hit the 12-win mark in December previous year, and surely they can’t be much worse than they were last season, can they? It’s two guys who are pushing each other.
Both McDavid and Eichel enter the league playing for dormant franchises. “This is going to be a really good test for us”.
Hall was not concerned McDavid would wilt under the pressure of his first game. Different personalities. We don’t think of Ovechkin when we think of Crosby. Even without a big year from Evander Kane, the amount of ice time and special teams opportunities Eichel will have should put him top three in rookie scoring.
“What I’ve found with him is he’s working really hard to just be himself and fit in”, the coach said.
His head coach agreed impressed with the way all three rookies – including defensive pair Joel Edmundson and Colton Parayko – were able to push through the jitters. It was a gaggle of media reserved only for the Cardinals in St. Louis, with Blues players joking “Oh, it must be Connor McDavid night”. “It will be a good measuring stick”. We are in the infancy stages. We had a chance to win, or at least get a point. “You talk about his speed, his skill, his vision and just the way he reads the game”.
McDavid remains a natural talent, but with what appears to be unnatural focus.
Next off, Slepyshev was playing his first National Hockey League game too.
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It may have only been one game, but it was a fantastic start for the St. Louis Blues. Small strides towards big dreams.
