With a bit of reflection, I think McDavid saw that it was J. Hughes back and thought he could exploit that. Which is fair. I think the issue was he outskated his teammates so he had no other options. But it still took a really good play by Hughes to knock the puck away.
The Athletic has a good breakdown, and it highlights that the goal happened because the 3 of the best players in the world, each mean a critical mistake. And ultimately that's what it comes down to. You had the on the ice because they are your best chances at a win. And they, as a collective, blew it.
Similarly, each of Werenski and J. Hughes made not one, but at least 2 critical plays in that sequence to generate the goal.
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