Connor McDavid and his Oilers skated into Game 1 with tunnel vision—one goal, one mission: start their playoff run with a big W. But before a single puck dropped, something extra special filled the air—and nope, it wasn’t just playoff energy. The vibes hit different this time at Crypto.com Arena, where the spotlight first fell on a harmonica crew that stole hearts way before goals stole headlines. The Harmonica Class from the Korea-Town Senior and Community Center brought out their instruments and played a soulful version of the Star-Spangled Banner while fans filled in the lyrics with some serious pride.

This wasn’t just any pregame anthem, though. It was history on ice, with this crew returning after debuting their harmonica magic during K-Town Night back in March. That first event was already a cultural milestone—the NHL’s first Korean-centered celebration—and the fact they were invited back for the playoffs? Just wow. Sadly for Connor McDavid, while the anthem was a win, the scoreboard wasn’t. Despite throwing everything but the Zamboni at the Kings, L.A. came out swinging and shut down Edmonton’s plans real quick.

Jason Gregor—aka the voice behind The Jason Gregor Show on @sports1440, co-host of the @dailyfaceoff podcast, and a sharp pen over at The Nation Network—couldn’t hold back the rollercoaster of feels after that wild ride of a game. Dude hit up X and dropped a reaction that basically had all of Oil Country nodding in unison.

He posted, “Are you kidding. Oilers overcome a 4-0 deficit and 5-2 on the third and McDavid ties it 90 seconds remaining. That 5-on-3 kill for two minutes looking even more massive now.” And honestly? Couldn’t have summed it up better. From down bad to tying it up like absolute legends—with Connor McDavid doing McDavid things when it mattered most. And that penalty kill? Straight-up game-saving sorcery.

Connor McDavid’s been that guy—lighting up rinks and stealing breaths, just like he did at the 4 Nations Face-Off when he blasted one in at 8:18 of overtime to seal the deal for Canada. Crowd went wild. But flash forward to the Stanley Cup Playoffs opener? Different kind of chaos. He still lit up the ice, dancing through defenders, but this time… it just wasn’t enough. The Kings weren’t here to play nice.

With less than a minute left, Phillip Danault sent in a clumsy-looking shot that fluttered up and over Skinner’s shoulder like a leaf caught in the wind—ugly but deadly. That goal wrapped up LA’s rollercoaster 6-5 win after they nearly choked a 4-goal lead. Connor McDavid had tied it late with 90 seconds on the clock, pulling off that signature magic with Skinner benched and the pressure sky-high—but Danault’s lucky break sealed the deal.

Despite Connor McDavid racking up a goal and three assists, and the Oilers mounting a wild comeback with help from Draisaitl, Perry, and Hyman, the Kings still held firm. Game 2’s coming in hot this Wednesday—and yeah, the Oilers know it’s go time. And while this might not have been their game, one Oiler indeed broke his drought!

It took Connor McDavid’s teammate 15 seasons

After fifteen long seasons, and a jaw-dropping 1,078 regular season games later, Jeff Skinner finally got his long-overdue taste of Stanley Cup playoff action—and honestly? The hockey gods took their sweet time. Monday night, Skinner skated onto the ice for Game 1 against the LA Kings, officially ending the longest wait in NHL history for a postseason debut. Like, imagine waiting that long to open the most hyped gift of your life.

Skinner’s journey? Oh, it’s been a ride. He’s been scoring goals since he was a fresh-faced 18-year-old, racking up six 30-goal seasons, 699 career points, and enough highlight reels to last a lifetime. But man, luck wasn’t exactly vibing with his teams. Carolina missed nine playoffs in a row during his early years, and then Buffalo? Whew—14 seasons of playoff ghost-town status. Basically, Skinner was stacking goals while his squads were stacking vacation days in April.

But then came Edmonton—a fresh chapter. He signed with the Oilers last summer, had a rocky start, but then slowly started cooking as the season rolled on. He dropped in 16 goals and finally found his groove on the third line. And get this—when the Oilers locked in their sixth straight playoff ticket, Connor McDavid handed Skinner the player of the game award. The locker room vibes? Immaculate. The drought is done. And honestly, no one deserved that moment more than Skinner.