World Juniors: McDavid's early goal helps Canada beat Germany
Star forward also chipped in with two assists
Of course, everyone knew that Connor McDavid's so-called scoring "drought" wasn't going to last.
The player tabbed by many to go first overall in the NHL draft in June broke out with a goal and two assists as Canada downed a surprisingly stubborn Germany 4-0 on Saturday at the world junior championship.
The 17-year-old McDavid had been held without a point in Canada's tournament-opening 8-0 drubbing of Slovakia the night before, but any talk of a slump was put to rest when he scored on a power play only 4:11 into the game.
"It's exciting, I haven't scored in a long time," said McDavid, who got his first goal in a real game since he broke his right hand in a fight during a game on Nov. 11. "I missed a whole bunch of games.
"Scoring goals is fun, so it was nice. There wasn't a whole lot of difference (from the Slovakia game) other than that the puck was going in. You guys (the media) might have thought I played a terrible game, but in reality, I had my share of chances. That's just the way it goes sometimes."
His linemate, Ottawa Senators winger Curtis Lazar, also got his first goal of the tournament.
"I know for Connor and myself, it's nice to contribute," said Lazar. "After his goal, he was still quite serious.
"I told him to relax and smile a bit. We're playing the game we love. I'm happy for him. He works so hard and he's such an intense, dedicated athlete, so it's good to get that monkey off his back."
Max Domi and Madison Bowey also scored, while centre Nic Petan picked up three assists to take over the tournament scoring lead with six points in two games. Canada went 3 for 4 on the power play.
Eric Comrie made 17 saves, while Canada had 31 shots on Kevin Reich. Canada has yet to concede a goal, as Zach Fucale got the shutout against Slovakia.
Some cringed when McDavid banged his hand on the glass during his goal celebration. Lazar said he may have been sending a message that his hand is fine, but McDavid said he was "just kind of in the moment. It's fun to celebrate with the fans. There were some fans there, so."