"You'd think that Kris Knoblauch would be more adept at getting [Connor McDavid] away from [the Jackson LaCombe & Jacob Trouba] matchup." @JeffMarek & @wyshynski wonder if Jay Woodcroft is the reason McDavid has been neutralized through two games Presented by Ninja Kitchen Show more
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Could former Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft be playing a part in Ducks’ suppression of McDavid?
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 24, 2026, 17:00 EDTUpdated: Apr 24, 2026, 16:58 EDT
Through two playoff games this year, Connor McDavid has yet to register a point.
So how have the Anaheim Ducks been so successful at keeping the Edmonton Oilers captain off the scoresheet so far? That question was top of mind on Friday afternoon’s edition of The Sheet with Jeff Marek.
From Marek’s point of view, Anaheim’s success in shutting down McDavid has to do with intel gathered by Ducks assistant coach Jay Woodcroft from his time as Oilers head coach. Joining as a guest Friday, ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski pointed to the strength of Anaheim’s top defenders as the defining factor. Here’s a snippet of their conversation:
Marek: “Shutting down Connor McDavid, this is the Woodcroft effect, right? This is Jay Woodcroft, assistant coach of the Anaheim Ducks, saying, you know, Joel (Quenneville), I kind of know a thing or two about these Edmonton Oilers, and I kind of know a thing or two about number 97. That’s what we’re seeing here, right?”Wyshynski: “I think we’re seeing copious amounts of Jackson Lacombe and Jacob Trouba, who played the most minutes against McDavid in the first two games of the series. You’d think that Kris Knoblauch would be more adept at maybe getting him away from that matchup, if they are in fact winning it, and they are in fact winning it. When they’re on the ice against McDavid, the Ducks, I believe, are plus in shot attempts at five-on-five. So it could be the Woody effect … or it could just be that they’ve got a good defensive pairing that’s been able to play up against McDavid’s line.”
Woodcroft served as Oilers head coach from February 2022 to November 2023. He oversaw two playoff runs for the Oilers, and led the team through McDavid’s historic 153-point season. Naturally, he knows Edmonton’s captain well, and this may contribute to his ability to shut him down.
To Wyshynski’s point, Lacombe and Trouba have evidently been tasked with taking on McDavid. Both Lacombe and Troube averaged over 25 minutes played through the first two games of the series, matching McDavid’s nightly TOI of 24:29.
Tied at one apiece, the series shifts tonight to Anaheim, as the Ducks host their first playoff game at Honda Center since 2018. The puck drops for Game 3 at 8 p.m.
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