Deciphering a way to slow McDavid

It’s the Detroit Red Wings turn to answer the $97 million question. How do you stop No. 97 of the Edmonton Oilers, center Connor McDavid? The Wings will face this test Sunday afternoon in Edmonton against the Oilers, and the truth of the matter is that there are no easy solutions. “He’s that type of player where he skates and just decides to accelerate and gains so much speed,… Detroit defenseman Xavier Ouellet said. “It’s kind of deceiving. H’s skating around at a certain speed and then just hits a switch and then accelerates. It’s hard to adjust to that. Once he takes that step ahead of you, it’s really hard to come back on a guy like that.… Hall of Famer former Wings coach Scotty Bowman said he’s only seen two players in all his years of being involved in the game who skate faster once they get the puck - Bobby Orr and McDavid. “Just the ability of him to make plays at such a high speed, that’s probably what separates him,… Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said of McDavid. “He can do things at such a high speed that most people can’t do.… Tasked with the challenge of checking McDavid will be Wings center Dylan Larkin. The coaching staff will strive to get the speedy Larkin and his linemates Andreas Athanasiou, als a speed merchant, and Anthony Mantha on the ice against McDavid as much as possible, not an easy task when Edmonton holds the advantage of the last change. “He’s got to be the best one-on-one player in the world,… Larkin said of McDavid. “You don’t see it very much, how he takes guys on and just skates by them, or puts the puck through their legs. It’s fun to watch.… Larkin’s plan for neutralizing McDavid is to flip the scenario, making use of their own speed on the attack to seek to and force McDavid to be in a position where he must stop Larkin. “ I think we can make them defend,… Larkin said. |They don’t want to spend time down there. They’ll get frustrated.… Petr’s Turn Petr Mrazek will get the nod in goal Sunday, his first start since Oct. 20. “I’m really excited, can’t wait for the game,… Mrazek said. “I worked hard to stay in the game and hope I can do it more.… Follow me on Twitter @asktheduffer