DENVER “Connor McDavid and Nathan McKinnon didn’t catch the bait.”
Two of the best players in the NHL face each other in the Western Conference Finals, but when asked about it, neither McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers nor McKinnon of Colorado Avelanche looked at it that way.
“They’re a good team there,” McDavid said Monday when asked about the speed-to-speed game against McKinnon. “They’ve proven that over the last few years, obviously this year hasn’t been any different. They have some really special players, they’re deep everywhere, a really good team.”
As belittling as they are, these two are the ones to watch when Avalanche and Oilers play Game 1 at Ball Arena on Tuesday (20:00 ET; TNT, CBC, SN, TVAS).
“Two of the best players in the league are doing, two of the fastest players,” Avalanche defender Eric Johnson said on Sunday. “Only two of the most qualified boys you could choose from the League.
“I think it’s great for hockey, I think it’s great for the fans, I think it’s great for both teams. Both teams haven’t been to the conference finals in a while, so it’s exciting. I think we are excited to be a part of it too. when you can have the best of the best, that’s the best you can hope for as a player. That’s what you want. “
[RELATED: Complete Avalanche vs. Oilers series coverage]
This is understandably an expected match. McDavid, the captain of the Oilers, mesmerized this postseason with 26 points (seven goals, 19 assists) in 12 games. He and Edmonton striker Leon Drysight are sixth and seventh with 26 or more points in the first 12 games of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The only two to score more during this period were Wayne Gretzky (34 points in 1983 and 32 in 1985 for the Oilers) and Mario Lemieux (29 in 1992 for the Pittsburgh Penguins).
“I think he’s the best, I said,” McKinnon told McDavid. “I think he was the best for a while now and it will take a full team effort to stop him, the same goes for Draisaitl. But they are deeper than the teams attribute to them. They are very deep, they would not be where they are without the full efforts of the team. “
McKinnon has 13 points (eight goals, five assists) in 10 games, including his second career-leading hat-trick in Game 5 of the second round against St. Louis Blues. McKinnon (four goals, two assists) and McDavid (one goal, five assists) have six power play points each.
“There’s a lot to like,” McDavid told McKinnon. “Obviously, he skates very well, he’s strong, he plays the game at maximum speed all the time and it makes it hard to defend himself.”
Video: STL @ COL, Gm5: MacKinnon’s second playoff trick
Avalanche defender Cale McCarthy faces McKinnon in training on a regular basis, but said everyone has their own challenges.
“Obviously there are a lot of similarities between McKinnon and McDavid, but at the same time they are very different styles of play,” he said. “McDavid is obviously doing very well with speed and is very fast and has quick steps in the beginning. So for us, we’re just going to try to stay in front of him. Nothing more.
“They’re both such electric players, and McDavid was the driving force for them, as well as for their other top guys. He’ll be a good test, but we’re all excited.”
Oilers goalkeeper Mike Smith said: “Obviously Nate is a unique player, a special player, a powerful man and you just have to be aware when he’s on the ice.
“It seems that every team has one or two or three elite players that you get used to facing in practice, but when the game starts, it’s something different. They have some special players out there that you need to know when they’re on the ice and know that they can get in your face pretty quickly. So you have to be ready for everything. “
Video: EDM @ CGY, Gm5: McDavid sends Oilers to the next round
For MacKinnon and McDavid, this is a team mentality, not a striker against a top striker. Nevertheless, everyone will probably be a big part of the final show of the conference.
“There are a lot of media spotlight on them. We will obviously see this here in this circle. It will be exciting,” said Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic. “They have world-class players, two of the best in the game, just like us. Both teams have great depth, up and down lineups [there’s] contributions. For the League, if you are a fan of the game, you will enjoy this series. It’s the best of the best and it’s going to be a great series of seven games. “
Add Comment