June 4 (UPI) — A year ago at this time, Connor McDavid and his teammates rode an emotional roller coaster into a Stanley Cup Final loss. Now, he says the Edmonton Oilers are comfortable ahead of a rematch with the Florida Panthers.
The Oilers, who are slight favorites in the series, will host the Panthers in Game 1 at 8 p.m. EDT Wednesday in Edmonton. All matchups in the best-of-seven game series will air at 8 p.m. on TNT, truTV and Max.
“It’s just dealing with the emotion of it,” McDavid told reporters. “You feel closer. There is a big circus. It can feel like it’s larger than it is. At the end of the day, it’s another series and we are playing another great team. You’ve gotta beat them before anything else happens.
“They have our complete focus. All of our energy is in going in to beat the Florida Panthers. There should be nothing else on anyone’s mind.”
McDavid, widely regarded as the best player in the NHL, would not only cement his iconic legacy with a title, but could help the Oilers snap a 32-year drought for Canada, which hasn’t won a Stanley Cup since 1993. He also could follow a similar path to fellow all-time greats Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby, who both won their first Stanley Cups the year after they lost in their first title series appearances.
“I see all of the parallels everyone wants to write about,” McDavid said. “At the end of the day, this is a different story, different teams, different group.
“I’m just excited to have another kick at the can here.”
General manager Stan Bowman said McDavid’s determination to claim his first Stanley Cup is driving the Oilers during this year’s title series run.
“This is his singular focus,” Bowman said. “He’s accomplished everything you could accomplish individually in the sport. He continues to dazzle us every game, every round, makes a difference, incredibly motivated and driven to win. You run out of superlatives to talk about him as a player and describe what he does on the ice. I think the thing that’s equally impressive is the way he is driving our team with his determination. There is no one else you want to battle with than someone like that. … You could see how bad he wanted it last year when it didn’t go Edmonton’s way in Game 7.
“Right now, he is on a mission.”
McDavid’s speed skating, anticipation and stick mastery could be the easiest way to spot the contradicting styles that will be at play from the first puck drop on the frozen floor of Rogers Place.
McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, two of the top forwards in the NHL, lead one of the fasting moving teams in the league. The Oilers averaged the most shots on goal during the regular season and averaged the most goals per game (4.06) this postseason. McDavid and Draisaitl rank second and fourth, respectively, in points per game this postseason.
The Panthers will bring their in-your-face style of physicality and stingy defense, anchored by goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. They don’t roster the top-end star power of the Oilers, but two-way forward Aleksandr Barkov and a wave of offensive playmakers carried them to the title series for the third-consecutive year.
The Panthers allowed a league-low 2.29 goals per game this postseason, a mark even better than their title-winning run allowance (2.58) last June. They also boast the best penalty kill percentage (87.9) and allowed the third-fewest shots per game among 2024-25 playoff teams.
“We are the two best teams in the world and I don’t think there is any debate for it,” Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk said. “We are here two years in a row. I’m not surprised either team is in this position. It’s going to make for a great series.”
The Oilers will be down one of their stars, with forward Zach Hyman sustaining a season-ending upper-body injury last month, but are still likely to combat the Panthers’ aggression with lighting-quick puck movement. Coaches and players from both teams don’t expect one style to dominate the series, which stretched to seven games last year.
“It’s going to be physical,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “It’s going to be really fast. It’s going to be really skilled. I don’t think there is one component that’s going to take over.”
Stanley Cup Final
All times EDT
Wednesday
Game 1: Panthers at Oilers at 8 p.m. in Edmonton
Friday
Game 2: Panthers at Oilers at 8 p.m. in Edmonton
Monday
Game 3: Oilers at Panthers at 8 p.m. in Sunrise
June 12
Game 4: Oilers at Panthers at 8 p.m. in Sunrise
June 14
Game 5: Panthers at Oilers at 8 p.m. in Edmonton
June 17
Game 6: Oilers at Panthers at 8 p.m. in Sunrise
June 20
Game 7: Panthers at Oilers at 8 p.m. in Edmonton
