"You need your forwards to get in [McDavid's] way a little bit, so it is easier for you as a defenseman. If you are not able to do that, then you want to have a tight gap so he doesn't have space to build his speed. It is all situational; if he does have speed, sometimes you want a bigger gap so that he is not going to embarrass you."
"For me, I know what I am going to get from shift to shift. He skates and competes. He just makes the simple play with the puck, for the most part. He has been pretty solid for us all around - moving pucks, defending, PK. He has formed some really good chemistry with McCabe out there. They've been really good for us."
Troy Stecher emphasizes a five-man defensive approach to limit Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, asking forwards to impede McDavid and defensemen to manage gaps and push play outward. Situational gap control is key: tighter gaps when forwards fail to impede, larger gaps when speed must be mitigated. Craig Berube praises Stecher's consistent skating, competitiveness, simple puck play, penalty killing and chemistry with McCabe. The Oilers respected Stecher but moved on to prioritize younger defensemen and give more responsibility to players like Emberson and Regula, creating the matchup narrative for tonight's game.
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