The veteran defenseman had a goal and two assists in a 5-3 win against the Calgary Flames in Game 2 on Friday, when the Oilers came back from trailing 2-0 and 3-1 on the road. Game 3 of the best-of-7 series is here Sunday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN2, CBC, SN, TVAS).
"He was unbelievable yesterday, with a goal and two assists," Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard said Saturday. "He was making plays left, right and center. He was all over the place. And to see someone play that well and that hard, that boosts everyone else up a little bit."
Keith was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks on July 12 after playing his first 16 NHL seasons for them. The 38-year-old won three Stanley Cup championships (2010, 2013, 2015), twice won the Norris Trophy voted as the NHL's best defenseman (2010, 2014) and won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2015 voted as the most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"[General manager Ken Holland] brought Duncan Keith here for a number of reasons," Edmonton captain Connor McDavid said after the game Friday. "And his game was great tonight. His game has been good all playoffs long and it was huge for us. And he's such a veteran presence back there. Such a big, big voice in the room and he's just been great for us, and obviously tonight was a real good one."
Keith pulled the Oilers within 2-1 at 13:38 of the first period after McDavid fed him for a one-timer from the left face-off circle. Keith then assisted on McDavid's goal that made it 3-2 early in the second period, and on Bouchard's tying power-play goal late in the period.
Keith had 21 points (one goal, 20 assists) in 64 regular-season games for the Oilers and has four points (one goal, three assists) in nine playoff games. He has 90 points (19 goals, 71 assists) and is plus-22 in 144 NHL playoff games, the most of any Edmonton player.
"I think that experience factor is obviously big," Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl said Saturday. "There is no panic in his game. It settles our whole group down sometimes, and you can see it last night. Last night he was amazing, he was really vintage 'Dunkie'. He's just so calm back there and makes the right plays the majority of the time, and he settles our game down a lot of the time."
Keith has been paired with Bouchard for most of the season, with the 22-year-old scoring 43 points (12 goals, 31 assists) in 81 regular-season games after being in and out of the lineup last season as a rookie.
"Last year, being in and out of the lineup was tough," Bouchard said, "but getting an opportunity to play with someone like Duncan really helps you grow as a person and definitely as a player and I'm taking all I can from him. He's done pretty much everything you can do as a defenseman -- won Stanley Cups, Norris Trophies, all that kind of stuff -- so to be able to play with him, grow with him and learn from him, that's special and he's taught me a lot."
Coach Jay Woodcroft said Keith's vast experience has been evident all season.
"Just his personhood and his presence in big moments, that's when it comes through in those type of times," Woodcroft said Saturday. "I saw that during the regular season, I'm seeing that currently. I thought he made a lot of poised plays with the puck, but sometimes it's about how people handle certain situations, handle adversity and sticky circumstances, and think he's been a good leader for our team."
