SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Back in the same locker room that was the scene of Connor McDavid’s profanity-laced outburst and the tearful ending to his first Stanley Cup Final, the Edmonton Oilers hope they can avoid the same result this time around.
Their next chance to take that step comes Monday night in Game 3 of their final rematch against the Florida Panthers, with play shifting to Sunrise after the teams split in Edmonton. The Oilers practiced in the shadow of the Panthers’ championship banner and, afterwards, players stood in the same room McDavid did his post-Game 7 interview at the most disappointing moment of his NHL career.
“I think no matter how much time passes, it’ll always be on your mind (when) you get that close,” coach Kris Knoblauch said. “We’re at a new stage of our season or our path, and we’re just focused on what we need to do right now.”
The Panthers won three of their four home games in the final last year, including the first two on the way to going up 3-0 in the series. The Oilers took Games 4 and 6 in Edmonton and Game 5 at Florida before their gut-wrenching loss in Game 7.
This is also not their first trip back. They got that out of the way Feb. 27 and are very familiar with the arena thanks to last June.
“Absolutely, there’s a comfort level in that, and there’s a benefit in that,” forward Connor Brown said. “You kind of know what to expect, you’ve been here and so you learn from experience, too. To be able to kind of have had to earn that experience last year, I think we’ll benefit from it this year.”
The Panthers went 27-12-2 at home during the regular season and 4-3 during the playoffs.
“It’s never bad being in your own bed, have a nice home-cooked meal,” Florida’s Sam Reinhart said. “I mean, once the puck drops, you might use the crowd a little bit. You might have that little extra energy. But at this time, it’s the two best teams that are left standing. Once that puck drops, it’s going to be a real battle regardless.”