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.
