Mark Messier Comments After Oilers Win Game 2 in Controversial Fashion

The Oilers defeated the Golden Knights in overtime, but it was not without its controversies, and franchise legend Mark Messier recently commented.

The Edmonton Oilers have seen legends wear the Oil Drop, greats like Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Doug Weight, and Chris Pronger, who helped shape the team's history and the City of Champions' identity.

Now, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are at the helm. Mark Messier has an observation: nobody really compares stars of the present to stars of the past anymore.

'Nobody talks about Leon or Connor and trying to compare them to a player that played in the past,' Messier told The Hockey News. 'They surpassed that. Now they are Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.'

'They're the guy that everybody is comparing to now, which is a huge evolution in a player's career. When a young guy comes into the league, they say, 'they kinda skate like him or kind of play like him.''

But McDavid and Draisaitl are equally as dominant; two generational players on the same team. Messier calls it what it is: a gift to Oilers fans. And they witnessed a gift last night in Game 2 of Round 2.

In Thursday's 5-4 overtime win against the Vegas Golden Knights, the Oilers faced adversity. They lost the special-teams battle, committed overtime turnovers early, and were unable to score during a five-minute power play.

McDavid and Draisaitl were silent until they weren't. When it mattered most, the pair combined for the winner. Late in the game, head coach Kris Knoblauch briefly split up McDavid and Draisaitl in search of a spark. It worked.