Time for Connor McDavid to step it up for the Oilers

If this were Gotham City, the Edmonton Oilers would be shining the Bat Signal into the sky in an attempt to summon the Caped Crusader.

Robin, however, is already on the scene, trying his best to fight off the villain and his henchmen by himself.

To be clear, Connor McDavid is Batman, Leon Draisaitl is Robin and the Vancouver Canucks are the Oilers' version of the villain and his henchmen.

Edmonton is down three games to two and on the brink of elimination in its Western Conference second-round series following Vancouver's 3-2 win on Thursday night. 

Now, McDavid does has five points in the series' five games. But those points have all come in the two games the Oilers have won. He had a goal and three assists in Edmonton's Game 2 overtime win and supplied an assist - on Draisaitl's goal - in his team's Game 4 victory.

But the man universally considered to be the best hockey player in the world does not have a point in any of his team's three losses in the series. Now, he does have 18 points in the playoffs, which is second to Draisaitl's 21.

But McDavid only has only two goals.

While it is certainly impressive to compile 16 assists in 10 playoff games, the best player in the world needs to have more than two goals in those contests.

Draisaitl, on the other hand, seems to be more unstoppable in the playoffs than he is during the regular season. In addition to leading all playoff participants with 21 points, he is third with eight goals and has at least a point in each of the team's 10 postseason games.

That's despite suffering an undisclosed injury in the opening game against the Canucks, which caused Draisaitl to miss the last half of the middle period in that contest. He was subsequently considered a game-time decision to play in Game 2. Not only did he play, but he had a goal and three assists.

In the four games since being injured, Draisaitl has three goals and six assists for nine points.

Over the course of McDavid's nine seasons, he has won three Hart Trophies as MVP and four Art Ross Trophies as the NHL's leading scorer and is one of only five players in league history with 100 assists in a season.

But no Stanley Cups.

And if McDavid can't show up in Saturday's Game 6 and – if they survive that contest – again in Game 7 and give Draisaitl a little more help, the Cup count will remain zero.

Gotham City is down to its last hope that Batman will, ultimately, answer the Bat Signal in this season's playoffs.