Morning Coffee: Can McDavid deliver more magic as Oilers aim to force a Game 7?

The Montreal Canadiens have exceeded expectations all season.

They’re now one win away from doing it again in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Canadiens entered the postseason as the second-biggest Round 1 underdog behind the Los Angeles Kings at +240 to advance at FanDuel.

The Colorado Avalanche swept the Kings in four games.

Meanwhile, after another upset win at Amalie Arena on Wednesday night, the Canadiens are one win away from pulling off the biggest surprise of the first round.

Brendan Gallagher provided the spark with the first goal just three minutes into his first game of this postseason.

Gallagher first goal was +3500 at FanDuel.

Gallagher anytime goal was +700.

11 seconds after the Tampa Bay Lightning tied it at 1-1 in the second period, Kirby Dach scored his second of the Stanley Cup Playoffs to put Montreal back in front.

The Habs could have wilted when Jake Guentzel delivered another equalizer late in the second period.

Instead, it set the stage for the Habs next surprise hero.

Alexandre Texier extended his point streak to three in a row with his second goal of the postseason just 1:06 into the third period.

After goals from Gallagher, Dach, and Texier, Jakub Dobes stood tall in the third period with 17 of his 38 saves as the Canadiens weathered the storm for the 3-2 win.

It’s been a brutally long time since a Canadian NHL team won the Stanley Cup.

Depending on how things play out tonight in California, the Habs could be Canada’s last remaining hope to win it all this year by the time I sit down to drink my Morning Coffee on Friday.

On Wednesday night, Connor McDavid overcame an injury that made him a “game-time decision” and helped the Edmonton Oilers keep their season alive with a 4-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks.

Despite his injury status, McDavid delivered arguably his best game of these Stanley Cup Playoffs with two assists, four shots on goal, and a plus-one rating in 24:09 of ice time – his second-highest ice time in the series.

The best hockey players in the world aren’t the best because somebody said they were.

They’re the best because when they’re season is one loss away from being over and their body is bruised and battered, they still show up and do the things that nobody else in the world can.

The Oilers will need more magic from McDavid in another elimination game tonight in Anaheim.

Will No. 97 deliver another remarkable performance with Edmonton’s season on the line?

Let’s set the stage for Game 6 tonight with a look at the latest odds and lock in a FanDuel Best Bet in this Morning Coffee column for Thursday April 30^th, 2026.

Can McDavid Deliver More Magic As Oilers Aim To Force A Game 7?

Facing elimination in Game 5, McDavid delivered his 51^st career multi-point postseason performance to help lift the Oilers to a 4-1 win.

McDavid now has 25 career points in potential playoff elimination games, which is tied with Patrick Kane for the most among active NHL skaters.

No. 97 led all Edmonton forwards with 24:09 of ice time.

He hit the net on all four of his shot attempts and won seven of his nine faceoffs attempts.

While McDavid was remarkable again, he didn’t have to do it all on his own in Game 5.

Leon Draisaitl scored twice including another powerplay goal – tying Wayne Gretzky for the most postseason goals with the man-advantage in Oilers franchise history.

Evan Bouchard registered three assists – the third time he’s recorded three points in an elimination game.

Ray Bourque (4) is the only defenceman in NHL history with more three-point performances when facing elimination than Bouchard.

Zach Hyman and Vasily Podkolzin also scored for Edmonton.

Meanwhile, Connor ingram returned to the crease and stopped 29 of the 30 shots he faced in the 4-1 win.

While I was somewhat surprised by the lack of pushback from the Ducks in Game 5, I’m betting that won’t be the case as the series shifts back to California tonight.

At the very least, Edmonton will need Ingram to deliver a similar performance to what we saw from him in Game 5.

There’s a good chance that he’ll face more scoring chances tonight, especially early on.

Meanwhile, the Oilers will need to continue to find ways to generate scoring chances of their own at 5-on-5.

After being held to one goal at 5-on-5 in their last four periods in Anaheim, Edmonton responded with three even-strength goals on home ice in Game 5.

The Oilers also did a much better job of limiting penalties, even though the Ducks converted on one of only two chances with the man-advantage for their lone goal.

Finally, Edmonton will need more magic from No. 97 and No. 29 if they’re going to send this series back to Alberta.

The Oilers have scored the first goal in all five games in this first round series.

Edmonton is 18-3 all-time when they score the first goal in Stanley Cup Playoff elimination games.

If they can strike first again tonight, stay out of the box and continue to lean on their best players, and Ingram makes the saves that matter, this series will go seven.

The Oilers have been the favourite to win every game so far in the series.

That trend will continue tonight with Edmonton at -132.

Anaheim is +110 to win tonight and -230 to advance.

The Oilers odds to advance were slashed from as high as +360 to +188 after their Game 5 win.

If they can take care of business tonight in California, they’ll be the favourite to win Game 7 on home ice.

As for a FanDuel Best Bet, I’ll go with Edmonton to win and send this series back to Alberta.

The Oilers opened -200 to win this series at FanDuel because of their star power, experience, and resilience.

All three of those factors showed up in an elimination game on Tuesday night.

While there’s still doubts about Ingram in net, no goalie has been statistically worse than Lukas Dostal, whose Goals Saved Above Expected hit -5.4 after he gave up three goals on six shots before getting pulled in Game 5.

I’ll also add a builder Same Game Parlay with the Oilers to score a goal in the first period, McDavid 1+ point, and Draisaitl 1+ point at -120.

Edmonton has scored nine first-period goals in five games in this series, with at least one in all five games.

97 and 29 combined for two goals and two assists playing together at 5-on-5 and on the powerplay in a Game 5 win.

With their season on the line once again tonight, I expect the Oilers superstars to strike early and often again.

Hopefully, they can send the series back to Alberta.

Have a great day, everyone!