Connor McDavid put up five points as the Oilers beat Vancouver 9-7 last night, and somehow the mood in Edmonton got darker.
McDavid finished with a goal and four assists and a +4. Leon Draisaitl added two goals, including one on the power play.
The problem sits in the crease. Devon Levi got the start and made 15 saves on 22 shots, two nights after Tristan Jarry allowed six.
That's 13 goals against through the first two games. No amount of skill up front covers that for long.
McDavid can't bail them out every night, and he shouldn't have to.
Asking your superstar to outscore leaky goaltending sends him the worst possible message: you're on your own here.
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The same post argued that even with better goaltending, "they're not getting anywhere near another SCF with this group."
Oilers fans wonder whether the window is closing on McDavid in Edmonton
That's where faith is fading. Fans have watched McDavid carry this team for years, and patience with the crease is running out fast.
He's 29 and carries a $12,500,000 cap hit. Every season without a Cup makes the question of whether he wins one elsewhere a little louder.
Mike Babcock preached aggression, and the Oilers delivered it at both ends. Plenty of goals for, far too many against, and another goalie left exposed.
The window isn't closed. But it's a lot narrower than anyone in Edmonton wants to admit, and the crease is the reason.
Outscoring a team that puts up seven is like bailing water faster than the boat takes it on. It works, right up until the night it doesn't.
Stan Bowman has a goaltending problem he can't wait out. The Connor Hellebuyck chatter won't stop, even with Mike McIntyre doubting the goalie would agree to play in Canada.
Seattle visits Saturday. Whoever starts in goal, the Oilers need a night where the scoreboard doesn't look like a track meet.
If the crease doesn't get fixed, that fan's question stops being a hot take. It becomes the conversation McDavid's camp starts having.
Has the Oilers' Stanley Cup window closed with Connor McDavid?
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