The regular season is long grueling hockey and to play Mackinnon's style of hockey at 100% all season isn't super doable. While I believe that some of the difference is smaller sample size in playoffs (although Mackinnon is building a decent sample size now) , I do think that he has another gear for playoffs, a gear that could not be sustained for an entire season. Also playoff hockey has tighter checking and greater physicality and Mackinnon is built for that. Mcdavid's sample size is really small for showing who he is in playoffs but I think it's foolish to think that there isn't an actual difference between playoff performance and regular season performance.So MacKinnon just chooses not to score as much in the regular season?
If McDavid put up 9 points in 4 games the Oilers are probably still playing hockey.Very simple.
If you want a better chance to win - McDavid
If you want a better chance to lose - MacKinnon
If McDavid put up 9 points in 4 games the Oilers are probably still playing hockey.
Out of curiosity, what would lead one to conclude that Mcdavid is the better player when it comes to playoffs? I agree with your idea that you take the better player. But based on those playoff resumes there’s no argument to be had (that I’m aware of anyway) that Mcdavid is better.McDavid.
You take the better player 10 times out of 10.
The regular season is long grueling hockey and to play Mackinnon's style of hockey at 100% all season isn't super doable. While I believe that some of the difference is smaller sample size in playoffs (although Mackinnon is building a decent sample size now) , I do think that he has another gear for playoffs, a gear that could not be sustained for an entire season. Also playoff hockey has tighter checking and greater physicality and Mackinnon is built for that. Mcdavid's sample size is really small for showing who he is in playoffs but I think it's foolish to think that there isn't an actual difference between playoff performance and regular season performance.
If McDavid put up 9 points in 4 games the Oilers are probably still playing hockey.
It’s not hard to see MacKinnon plays a game more suited for the playoffs, he’s bigger, more physical with a better shot.
McDavid’s cute dangles don’t work in the playoffs, the Jets shut down his speed through the neutral zone and he was invisible the whole series.
Different year. Considering three games went to OT I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that.He did that last year and the Oilers still got eliminated.
Out of curiosity, what would lead one to conclude that Mcdavid is the better player when it comes to playoffs? I agree with your idea that you take the better player. But based on those playoff resumes there’s no argument to be had (that I’m aware of anyway) that Mcdavid is better.
I think you misunderstood. I’m talking about from a pure individual standpoint. I was never one of the Toews over Crosby people because I understand one player doesn’t make a team. Team success doesn’t come from one player. Nathan Mackinnon hasn’t won shit either. That success comes from a team. Mcdavid is in a tire fire of an organization and I don’t expect him to carry that team to the promise land.This site loves its narratives about individual players when it comes the playoffs, context be damned.
I think MacKinnon is one of the very best players in the world, but I don't think he'd do any better in McDavid's shoes. Alternatively, the Avs are unlikely to be worse off with McDavid at the helm.
To take a more extreme example, ~8 years ago we had an influx of "Toews vs. Crosby" threads, the justification being Toews is a "born winner" and "all he does is win". As if Kane, Keith, Hossa, and Sharp had nothing do with Toews having more playoff success.
In this case the offensive gap between McDavid and MacKinnon is smaller, but I'd still argue the disparity in this poll is reactionary nonsense in the 24 hours following a disappointing Oilers exit. Flip their positions and the narrative flips as well. "McDavid elevates his game in the playoffs vs. will MacKinnon ever get it done?"
MacKinnon's playoff history:
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First two seasons are QMJHL playoffs - when he was 16 in the first year and 17 in the second. He also destroyed Memorial Cup, having a hat-trick in the final game.
The guy elevates his game in the post season and by a lot even though he's great in the regular season too. I'm a biased Avs fan but I'm picking MacKinnon.
To be fair, McDavid still has two seasons to catch up to MacKinnon's current numbers.
I think you misunderstood. I’m talking about from a pure individual standpoint. I was never one of the Toews over Crosby people because I understand one player doesn’t make a team. Team success doesn’t come from one player. Nathan Mackinnon hasn’t won shit either. That success comes from a team. Mcdavid is in a tire fire of an organization and I don’t expect him to carry that team to the promise land.
What I’m saying though is individually, Mcdavid can’t hold the jockstrap of Nathan Mackinnon from their playoff performances. Again, not wins. I’m talking individual dominance. Mackinnon has a drastically better track record offensively, defensively and physically in the playoffs. It’s not a team narrative. It’s Mcdavid performing much worse in the postseason relative to his regular season stats vs Nathan Mackinnon who has done the opposite and trails only Gretzky and Lemieux all time in playoff points/gm.
People claiming Mackinnon is a winner and Mcdavid isn’t is nonsense. It takes a 19 man unit to accomplish that. I’m simply talking about how much better Nathan Mackinnon the hockey player is than Connor Mcdavid in the playoffs at this point of their careers. We’re talking about a 1.43ppg playoff performer in Mackinnon vs a 1.04ppg playoff performer in Mcdavid. Not Colorado vs Edmonton.
MacKinnon, because he's capable of successfully dumping the puck in OT
Also,