EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Drew Doughty got his Halloween scare one night early, when the Los Angeles Kings defenseman was reminded why he believes Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid is the most frightening offensive player in the NHL.
McDavid used his speed to dart through the neutral zone and past Minnesota Wild defenseman Ryan Suter for a breakaway goal in the Oilers' 4-3 loss Tuesday. It's the exact sequence of events that Doughty says is his biggest concern when facing the two-time Art Ross Trophy winner.
"I shouldn't say this, but all I've seen basically on my Instagram the last couple weeks or so is him getting breakaways and breakaways and breakaways," Doughty said Wednesday. "And that's my No. 1 fear when I play against Connor; his speed and his moves are so quick that you have to honor his fakes because he's so fast that you have to honor them. So that's always my biggest nightmare, that I'm going to give up a breakaway and he's going to make me look foolish."
There is plenty of mutual admiration between Doughty, 28, and McDavid. The 21-year-old has praised Doughty as the best defenseman in the NHL. Doughty is more than willing to return the compliment, saying that McDavid's rare combination of skills sets him apart from every other offensive player in the NHL.
"I don't think there is anyone close," Doughty said. "There's guys I'm sure that are close in speed, but they don't have the whole package. He has everything: the vision, the hands, the shot, the edges, the movement, lateral movement. No one has it all like him."
McDavid has 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 12 games against the Kings. He had two goals in the most recent game between the Oilers and Kings on March 24, racing past forward Tyler Toffoli and defenseman Derek Forbort to score the winning goal. Doughty was not on the ice during that sequence, but it was the kind of play that reinforced why McDavid can make him nervous even from the bench.
"Every time you literally think something bad could go wrong for your team when he gets the puck, and that's how scary it is," Doughty said.
Doughty will have to wait to confront his fears, as the first meeting this season between the Oilers and Kings does not happen until Nov. 25 at Staples Center.
"I go in there scared, and I think what I love about it is that I realize how good he is and I'm scared going into the game, and that makes me rise to the occasion a lot of times," Doughty said. "There's going to be times when he gets me, and there's going to be times when I get him. That's just the way it goes. Two really good players in the game, him probably being the best player in the game."
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