Oilers' McDavid 'more comfortable' in rematch

EDMONTON -- Connor McDavid was asked if the Edmonton Oilers had to suffer successful the Stanley Cup Final earlier they could triumph a championship.

"If you asked maine this question past year, I'd astir apt accidental no. Now that we've lost, I'll say, 'Yeah, of people you've got to suffer earlier you win,'" said the Oilers captain, drafting a laughter astatine Media Day.

McDavid and the Oilers won the Western Conference and earned a Stanley Cup Final rematch with the Florida Panthers, who defeated Edmonton successful Game 7 past play aft blowing a 3-0 bid lead. McDavid was crushed by the defeat. Being named the victor of the Conn Smythe Trophy arsenic playoffs MVP was of small consolation. So getting different accidental to triumph the Cup was his solitary absorption entering this season.

"I went to spot him successful the summertime and each helium talked astir was, 'I conscionable privation to triumph a Cup' That was it. We didn't speech astir thing else. This is his singular focus," said Oilers GM Stan Bowman, who was hired past offseason to win Ken Holland.

"He's accomplished everything helium could execute individually successful this sport. He continues to dazzle america each game. You tally retired of superlatives to speech astir him arsenic a player," said Bowman of McDavid, the five-time scoring champion and three-time league MVP. "You could spot however severely helium wanted it past twelvemonth erstwhile it didn't spell Edmonton's mode successful Game 7. Right now, he's connected a mission."

McDavid leads the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 26 points successful 16 games, including a postseason precocious 20 assists. He was particularly bully successful the Oilers' five-game Western Conference Finals triumph implicit the Dallas Stars, with 9 points.

"He's conscionable the ultra-competitor who wants to triumph truthful badly," said his linemate Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. "The much acquisition you have, the easier it is to benignant of settee successful and play your game. I deliberation conscionable having a small spot much acquisition past twelvemonth helps us."

McDavid said his 2nd travel to the Stanley Cup Final "feels much normal" than past postseason's maiden voyage.

"It's antithetic successful the consciousness that it feels little big, you know? Last twelvemonth felt monumental. Very dramatic. This twelvemonth feels precise normal," helium said. "It's easier to play and relation erstwhile it's conscionable different day."

To that end, McDavid said helium feels "more comfortable" successful returning to play for the Stanley Cup.

"I would accidental it's conscionable dealing with the emotion of it [better]. There's a large circus. It tin consciousness similar it's larger than it is, but astatine the extremity of the time it's different series. We're playing different large squad and you've got to bushed them earlier thing other happens. So they person our implicit focus," helium said.

"All of our vigor is going into beating the Florida Panthers. There should beryllium thing other connected anyone's mind."