A few metres behind McDavid, however, was a big picture of Florida alternate captain Matthew Tkachuk celebrating with the Stanley Cup.
That image, which was taken after the Panthers captured a seven-game series win over the Oilers last June, likely was fresh in McDavid’s mind.
McDavid will try to take the first step towards authoring a different ending when the teams play game 1 of the best-of-seven series today in Edmonton.
"It can be draining just dealing with the emotion," McDavid said.
"You feel closer, then there’s 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’re playing another great team. And we’ll have to beat them before anything else happens.
"They have our complete focus. All of our energy is going into beating the Florida Panthers. There should be nothing else on anyone’s mind."
McDavid has excelled during this playoff run, recording nine of his 26 points (six goals, 20 assists) in Edmonton’s five-game series win over the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference finals.
The three-time Hart Trophy recipient has totalled four assists in two meetings versus the Panthers this season, albeit the end result was a pair of one-goal losses for Edmonton.
While all eyes will be on McDavid and fellow former Hart Trophy recipient Leon Draisaitl, the Oilers will need strong performances at the other end of the ice if they are to capture their first Stanley Cup title since 1990.
Stuart Skinner, the Oilers’ goaltender, has a tall task ahead of him as he squares off against two-time Vezina Trophy recipient Sergei Bobrovsky for the second straight final.
"He’s one of the best goalies in the world," Skinner said of Bobrovsky, who has notched one shutout in each round this spring. "He’s impressive. He skates well. Technically, I don’t think there’s much wrong with him in my perspective. He’s exceptional."
The Panthers are making their third consecutive Stanley Cup appearance off strong play on the road. They are 8-2 away from home in the playoffs. — Field Level Media
